People’s Liberation Army China on Thursday, August 4, began the previously announced air and sea military exercises in the Taiwan area in response to a visit to this island by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The maneuvers are held until August 7, and target shooting is planned as part of them. In particular, long-range firing with pinpoint strikes was carried out at specific areas in the eastern part of the Taiwan Strait, the command of the Eastern Military Region said.
Taiwan stepped up combat readiness
In turn, representatives of the Taiwan administration said that the military is stepping up its combat readiness and will properly respond to the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Thus, missile systems are deployed in Taiwan to track the actions of the Chinese air force, and Taiwanese warships are monitoring the actions of the Chinese Navy, Reuters reports. Earlier, the Taiwanese administration did not rule out Chinese military invasion on the territory of the island republic, defending the status of an independent state, but considered the official Beijing as one of the Chinese provinces.
ASEAN called for restraint
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) warned that tensions in the Taiwan Strait could lead to “open conflicts between major powers and unpredictable consequences.” “ASEAN stands ready to play a constructive role in promoting peaceful dialogue among all parties,” the association said in a statement, calling on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from provocative actions.
EU diplomat chief Borrell condemned China’s maneuvers
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned China’s plans to conduct military exercises around Taiwan. “There is no reason to use the visit (Nancy Pelosi. – Ed.) as a pretext for aggressive military action in the Taiwan Strait. For the legislators of our countries, making international trips is a matter of routine,” the head of EU diplomacy wrote on Twitter.
Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan
Tensions between the authorities in mainland China and Taiwan have risen in recent days due to visit to the island by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on the evening of August 2 as part of an Asian tour and left on August 3.
Pelosi, who assured Taiwan of Washington’s broad support during the visit, became the first speaker of the United States House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in 25 years. The Chinese authorities, who consider Taiwan its territory, were sharply criticized even before its arrival on the island.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Military airfield in sea waters
Since the summer of 2014, China has been working on the Fire Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. According to experts from the AMTI (Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative) project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, an airfield is being built there that can receive H-6 strategic bombers. Pictured from left to right: fishing boats; cargo ships; excavator platform.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
New land in no man’s waters
Haven Reef is located on the northern side of the Spratly archipelago. Thanks to dredging work, since March 2014, more than 115 thousand square meters of new land have appeared here. Specialists in international law regard this as an attempt by China to gain a foothold in the region de facto. However, from a legal point of view, artificial islands cannot be the basis for territorial claims.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Construction at an accelerated pace
Satellite imagery from 2014 shows that construction on the Haven Reef is progressing rapidly. In just six months, a new artificial island appeared. The photo on the left was taken in March, showing an almost untouched reef with a small artificial platform at the top of the photo. In the photo on the right – an almost finished object in August. Signatures from top to bottom: original structure; artificial island; dredging channel.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
The politics of symbolic messages
China is building another runway by expanding the surface of the South Johnson Reef (Chigua Reef). However, it is too short for strategic use. Which does not cancel the Chinese message to neighboring countries: we have come to stay.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Standard building scheme
It seems that the Chinese specialists in the construction of artificial islands have developed a standard scheme for the construction of such facilities. Evidence of this is the similarity between the results of work on the reefs of Haven and Hughes. A giant floating dredging platform can operate non-stop around the clock, pouring soil from the bottom of the sea onto the expanding surface part of the artificial island.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Philippines are trying to protest
In February 2015, the Philippines once again sent a note of protest in connection with the construction work carried out by the PRC on the Mischief Reef, which lies about two hundred kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan. In the lower part of the picture, taken on January 19, it is easy to distinguish a floating dredge. China has previously claimed that facilities at Mischief Reef are for fishermen only.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Desperate Resistance
In 1999, the Philippines sent the USS Sierra Madre to Thomas Second Atoll (Ayungin Atoll) and deliberately ran it aground there. Since then, the slowly rusting ship has been guarded by a team of Filipino navies whose mission is to contain Chinese expansion. In the long run, the odds are clearly not on their side.
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Diplomacy of artificial islands
Territorial dispute in the South China Sea
China has launched large-scale dredging to artificially build up the surface of some islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago. In addition to the PRC, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claim its separate parts. The region is of great strategic importance and is rich in hydrocarbon deposits. The blue dotted line on the map marks the area China claims as its own.
Author: Rodion Ebbighausen, Alexander Delfinov
