India, US hold naval exercise with Japan; Philippines slams Chinese lighthouses

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MANILA, Oct 19, (AFP): The Philippines on Monday strongly criticised two lighthouses China constructed in the disputed South China Sea, charging that they were covert means of enforcing Beijing’s claims to the disputed waters. The angry statement came despite China’s efforts to soothe tensions over its South China Sea claims during a forum with ASEAN countries last week. “We are strongly opposed to China’s construction and operation of lighthouses on Cuateron Reef and Johnson Reef,” said Charles Jose, a spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs. “These actions are obviously intended to change actual conditions on the ground and aimed at bolstering China’s territorial claim in the South China Sea. We will not accept these unilateral actions as a fait accompli,” he added in a statement. The two reefs are located in the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, a vital sealane and fishing ground which is claimed almost entirely by China.

Conflicts
China’s claim conflicts with those of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. All but Taiwan are members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Philippines has been among the most vocal in criticising China’s efforts to assert its claim over the waters, including its recent reclamation of land to transform isolated South China Sea outcrops into artificial islands that can host military facilities. Manila has also filed a case with an international tribunal challenging Beijing’s maritime claims. In a forum with ASEAN defence chiefs in China last week, Fan Changlong, vice-chair of China’s Central Military Commission, tried to ease tensions, pledging that his country would “never recklessly resort to the use of force, even on issues bear ing on sovereignty”. However upon returning from the forum, Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin late Saturday reiterated the call for “rules-based solutions,” to resolve the dispute. “As responsible members of the international community, parties must refrain from unilateral actions that change the status quo and increase tensions,” he said in a veiled criticism of China.

India, the United States and Japan on Monday wrapped up six days of naval exercises, reflecting closer military ties that are seen as a counterweight to growing Chinese influence in the region. It is the second consecutive year Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) has taken part in the Malabar Exercise, conducted annually by the US and India off the Andamans archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. India’s defence ministry said the Oct 14-19 drills were “part of the process of enhancing naval cooperation among important navies of Indo- Pacific regions”.

Staking Regional power
China is expanding its deep-water naval presence and staking a claim to disputed areas of the South China Sea and the East China Sea. India also has a longstanding territorial dispute with China, and troops from the two countries engaged in a a major stand-off at the border last year. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who enjoyed close ties with his Japanese counterpart as well as with US President Barack Obama, has criticised what he called China’s “expansionist mindset”. Japan had taken part in the exercises in 2007 and 2008 but only resumed its participation last year after Modi’s election. Washington has increasingly turned its focus to Asia as it looks to counter China’s growing influence and a military build-up that has unnerved some of its regional neighbours. “This exercise sends a good message to China and the rest of South Asia, and it is symbolic in the sense that it says ‘we’re not backing off’,” said independent Indian analyst Madhu Bhalla

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