They said the fact that some parties to the South China Sea dispute are increasingly militarizing the area is the biggest threat to regional stability. This process is not only taking place on the sea, but under it and in the air, said experts attending a conference held in Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang late last week. Vietnam calls the South China Sea the East Sea. The conference aimed to discuss potential solutions for settling the East Sea disputes. Delegates noted that in addition to competing for marine resources like fisheries, and oil and gas, the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles is creating new legal arguments. Dr. Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the gathering of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance has so far received little interest in comparison to other superficial activities in the process of building forces in the South China Sea. The importance of those activities … [Read more...] about Hi-tech militarization of South China Sea alarming, experts say
Vietnam south china sea
South China Sea issues come under the spotlight
Participants take part in a photo session at the 10th South China Sea International Conference on co-operation for regional security and development. — VNS Photo Công Thành Viet Nam News ĐÀ NẴNG — Discussions and forums on the South China Sea (called East Sea by Việt Nam) have become sources of interdisciplinary study among scholars and researchers from the fields of politics, social policy, environment and strategy over the past decade. Director of the diplomatic academy of Việt Nam, Nguyễn Vũ Tùng, spoke at the 10th South China Sea International Conference on co-operation for regional security and development yesterday, stating that over the past 10 years, the conference has attracted the participation of 300 scholars and 2,000 Vietnamese and international participants as well as institutes and universities. “We have built up a network of scholars and experts studying the South China Sea, promoting trust … [Read more...] about South China Sea issues come under the spotlight
Yutu storm to hit South China Sea
Super typhoon Yutu, with wind speeds up to 200km per hour, was heading for the East Sea (South China Sea ) on Saturday morning, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported. At 7am on Saturday, the storm’s eye was 880km east of the Luzon Island, the Philippines. The strongest winds near the storm’s centre were 185 to 200km per hour. In the next 24 hours, the storm is predicted to move southwest at 15 to 20km per hour. At 7am on Tuesday, it is predicted to hit Luzon Island. The strongest winds will reach 135 to 150km per hour. In the next 48 to 72 hours, the storm will move southwest at 15km per hour, about 550km northeast of the Paracel Islands. The centre has urged steering committees on search and rescue of provinces from Quảng Ninh to Khánh Hoà to prepare for the storm in collaboration with the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and related agencies. The Ministry of Information and … [Read more...] about Yutu storm to hit South China Sea
Vietnam slams Taiwan’s live-fire drill in South China Sea
“We are closely following the situation and developments in the East Sea,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday, using the Vietnamese name for the waterway. She was responding to a question about Taiwan’s plan on holding a three-day live-fire drill around Ba Binh Island, internationally known as Itu Aba, beginning November 21. Taiwan will use 40mm grenade launchers and other weapons in the drill supposed to cover a radius of eight kilometers. Ba Binh, the largest naturally occurring island in the Truong Sa Archipelago, which Vietnam asserts sovereignty over, is currently occupied by Taiwan. Hang reiterated that Vietnam has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert indisputable sovereignty over the Paracel (Truong Sa) and Spratly (Hoang Sa) archipelagoes in accordance with international law. Taiwan's repeated drills around Ba Binh Island threaten peace, stability, maritime safety and security, create tension and complicate the situation … [Read more...] about Vietnam slams Taiwan’s live-fire drill in South China Sea
Vietnam slams Taiwan’s live-fire drill on South China Sea
By Khanh Lynh  October 26, 2018 | 08:45 am GMT+7 Ba Binh (Itu Aba) Island as seen on Google Maps. The Foreign Ministry has denounced Taiwan's live-fire drill plan near the Spratly Archipelago as a serious violation of Vietnam's sovereignty. “We are closely following the situation and developments in the East Sea,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday, using the Vietnamese name for the waterway. She was responding to a question about Taiwan’s plan on holding a three-day live-fire drill around Ba Binh Island, internationally known as Itu Aba, beginning November 21. Taiwan will use 40mm grenade launchers and other weapons in the drill supposed to cover a radius of eight kilometers. Ba Binh, the largest naturally occurring island in the Truong Sa Archipelago, which Vietnam asserts sovereignty over, is currently occupied by Taiwan. Hang reiterated that Vietnam has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert … [Read more...] about Vietnam slams Taiwan’s live-fire drill on South China Sea