ASEAN Criss -Cross
Philippines Restores Subic Bay Airfield For South China Sea Ops, Bangkok-Beijing High-Speed Rail: Thai's Test Bangkok-Vientiane Train Service, Philippines' illegal intrusion near Ren'ai Reef denounced
Courting Manila, US and its allies try to 'paint a troublemaker as a victim'
Philippines' US-backed provocations 'unpopular among ASEAN states'
By Yang Sheng
China's recent law-enforcement manoeuvres in the South China Sea to counter the Philippines' provocation backed by the US were "necessary, professional, restrained and beyond reproach," said the Chinese Foreign Ministry, while Washington and a few non-regional US allies, such as the UK and Canada, have made groundless and biased condemnations against China on the latest incident near China's Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef).
Analysts said the risky and irresponsible act conducted by the Philippines are quite unpopular among ASEAN member states, and that Manila should be aware of the danger of being used by the US as a pawn to disrupt the stability and peace of the region.
In response to the complaint from Manila about China's law-enforcement action, Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that this operation of the Philippines is absolutely not about "humanitarian resupply.
The Philippine vessels secretly carried construction materials and even weapons and equipment, and they deliberately rammed Chinese vessels. The Philippine side threw water and hurled objects to Chinese enforcement personnel. These acts clearly escalated tensions at sea, and severely threatened the safety of Chinese personnel and vessels, Lin said.
Photos obtained by the Global Times exclusively from the China Coast Guard (CCG) on Wednesday show the CCG's interception, boarding, inspection and expelling of Philippine vessels when they illegally intruded into waters near China's Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea on Monday.
"China took necessary measures in accordance with law to safeguard its sovereignty, which was lawful and justified, and done in a professional and restrained manner. It was beyond reproach. China will firmly safeguard its lawful rights and interests. We urge the Philippines to stop infringement and provocation at sea at once. Otherwise, the consequences shall be borne by the Philippines," Lin said on Thursday.
The CCG's new procedures that allow Chinese law enforcement forces to take more decisive action to counter provocations took effect on Saturday, and Manila wants to test the new procedures, and now it has the answer, said a Beijing-based military expert who asked for anonymity.
The latest incident is a proof of China's determination to safeguard its own interest, sovereignty and security, and China is well-prepared to counter any further aggressions and provocations by the Philippines or the US that aim to disrupt regional peace and stability in the future, the expert told the Global Times on Thursday.
China's law-enforcement actions have remained restrained and professional, although the Philippines' acts are dangerous and provocative that deserve more powerful and decisive countermeasures, said experts. This has shown China's sincerity to avoid escalation of tension, analysts said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday held a call with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo to discuss China's actions in the South China Sea, which Manila and Washington have called "escalatory." Blinken underscored the US' ironclad commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty, the US State Department said.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the US is just playing the trick of "making a troublemaker into a victim," as everyone can see crystal clear that it was Washington that stands behind all the risky provocations conducted by the Philippines, and when China takes very restrained actions to stop their irresponsible and dangerous behaviors that threaten China's sovereignty and national security, they start to cry out and draw attention.
They have done the same thing during the term of former Philippines president Benigno Aquino III in early 2010s, and the Philippines get nothing eventually after a series of frictions and tensions with China, and the US has never paid for the losses that Manila has suffered, and unfortunately, now the Ferdinand Marcos Jr's administration is repeating the same mistakes, said experts.
In the past few years, with the efforts made by China and other regional countries, including the Philippines during the term of Rodrigo Duterte, the South China Sea has already become a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation. Unfortunately, due to the US military acts in the region, and its collaboration with the Marcos Jr's administration in recent years, the regional peace and stability have been disrupted. The US interference is the root cause of worsening tensions in the region, said Li.
A few US allies like Britain and Canada have followed the US to condemn China's actions, Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement released on its website that ""Canada is not a party to the South China Sea issue, yet frequently makes erroneous statements on this issue. Canada has repeatedly sent warships and helicopters to flaunt its power in the South China Sea under the pretext of safeguarding the freedom of navigation and overflight, which is a serious violation of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and endangers regional peace and stability."
Lone troublemaker
When the US and its allies that are far from the South China Sea are making groundless accusations and condemnations, no regional ASEAN countries are following the US step to encourage Manila's risky move, analysts said.
"Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia all refuse to bring in the external forces to make the South China Sea issue more complicated, as they believe that they can work with China to manage the differences and explore the region jointly, while the Philippines is the one that fails to withstand the interference from the external force," Li noted.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a recent interview with Chinese news website guancha.cn that on the South China Sea issue, Malaysia's position is that the regional countries "have to negotiate among friends," and there is no reason to invite external powers from outside.
In April, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said during his visit in Beijing that his country opposes "external forces" meddling in the South China Sea, and foreign interference in the region was not welcomed.
Also in April, Chinese and Vietnamese defense ministers signed an MOU on a hotline between the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command and the Vietnamese navy, which set an example for regional countries to handling maritime disputes, said observers.
In December 2023, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that "the Vietnamese side is willing to work with the Chinese side to maintain peace and stability at sea in accordance with the high-level consensus between the two countries," the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Read more here.
Philippines To Restore Subic Bay Airfield For South China Sea Ops
By Aaron-Matthew Lariosa (Naval News)
The new Philippine Air Force forward operating base is set to host the service's maritime patrol assets dedicated for the South China Sea.
The Philippines is looking to create a new base on the site of a former American naval air station at Subic Bay to increase its aerial surveillance and power projection capabilities in the South China Sea.
A new forward operating base that can support reconnaissance and attack aircraft will be established at Subic Bay International Airport according to Philippine Air Force bidding documents and development plans. While plans to fully develop the former American naval base were announced almost a decade ago, it was only this year that the service invited companies to bid for the project.
Previously the site of the U.S. Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Subic Bay International Airport was established following the broader American military withdrawal from the Philippines in the 1990s. Since then, both Philippine and American military forces have been returning to the area to facilitate resupply, refuel, and repair vessels. Subic’s port facilities also support the delivery of U.S. military equipment into the Philippines during bilateral exercises.
However, amid increased tensions with China over territorial disputes and a realization of its lackluster defense capabilities, Manila has committed to the re-establishment of military infrastructure at Subic Bay. With its strategic location adjacent to the South China Sea, the Philippines established Naval Operating Base Subic in 2022. This 100-hectare section of the former Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction shipyard, now owned by American firm Cerberus, became the Philippine Navy’s most important base. Since its founding, the base has been the only one in the Philippines that can support the service’s largest vessels.
Across the bay at Subic Bay International Airport, a similar story unfolded as the Philippines examined what facilities could be useful in their new military plans. Philippine Air Force documents on the project directly cited the proximity of the airfield to Scarborough Shoal and the South China Sea as the reason for the construction of the forward operating base.
Joshua Bernard Espeña, vice president at the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told Naval News that this new base at Subic Bay is a “significant leap” in the Philippine military’s efforts to develop joint operations.
“It also tells about the operationalization of the Philippines’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) with the logic of filling the gaps of defending a vast archipelago; the key is a rapid and coordinated response, hence Subic being the classic location for the FOB,” said Espeña.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has identified Subic Bay International Airport as a staging point for “Joint Air-Sea-Land Operations” under its strategic basing plan, which aims to identify points across the country’s vast archipelago to support and project forces beyond territorial waters and into Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
“The existing runway may be utilized by surface attack aircraft in support to both land and maritime operations,” stated the Philippine Air Force bidding document on the potential of the former U.S. Naval Air Station.
While bids put forth are preliminary, worth around $2.5 million and only covering housing and security upgrades, the plan’s schematics outline other future ambitions at the airfield, including basing for fighter jets, missile storage, and a large hangar that can support the service’s upcoming surveillance aircraft.
Documents also indicate the long-term construction of a dedicated drone and maritime patrol base at Subic. with bidding documents stating that the Department of National Defense’s Defense Planning Guidance 2020-2025 has directed the Philippine Air Force to “continue the full development of basing and hangars” for these reconnaissance aircraft at Subic Bay International Airport.
In recent years, the Philippines has received a diverse inventory of surveillance aircraft thanks to military modernisation efforts and U.S. assistance. American-donated surveillance planes and procured Israeli drones have been utilized by the Philippine military in monitoring the South China Sea. Much of the footage published by the Philippines in its encounters with China over the Second Thomas Shoal has been recorded by the Philippine military with Hermes 900 drones.
Manila has also been receiving drone surveillance support from the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, with the latter beginning its maiden Reaper deployment to the Philippines on a rotational basis to assist combined intelligence-gathering efforts.
Read more here.
Bangkok-toVientiane Train Service
By V Bhagya Subhashini
Bangkok-Beijing High-Speed Rail: Thailand To Test Bangkok-Vientiane Train Service
In a significant step towards establishing train travel between Thailand's Bangkok and China's Beijing, Thailand will conduct a trial rail service between Bangkok and Laos' Vientiane on 13 and 14 July. This initiative lays the groundwork for an extensive rail network stretching from Bangkok to Beijing.
The new service aims to integrate Thailand with the existing Laos-China rail network, a key component of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
With the inauguration of the Thailand-Laos rail link, trains from Bangkok will now be able to make stops in Vientiane and Kunming, southern China. From Kunming, travellers can continue their journey on a semi-high-speed service to Beijing.
Given the mountainous terrain and the distance involved, the approximately 2,000-mile (3,218-kilometre) journey will take nearly a full day, compared to about five hours by non-stop flight.
The high-speed train currently operating between China and Laos has already reduced the transportation time for Thai goods to Kunming from two days to just 15 hours, highlighting the potential for efficient trade routes.
Ekarat Sriarayanphong, an official at the SRT, stated that this new rail link will enhance transportation connectivity between Thailand, Laos, and China, promoting economic and tourism ties across the region, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Improving rail connectivity with China, Thailand's primary trade partner, is seen as a strategic move to boost its economic growth. Last year, Thailand exported almost $32 billion worth of goods to China, including fruit and rubber products. In contrast, imports from China totalled $65.3 billion, dominated by electric equipment and machinery.
The countries are also strengthening tourism ties, having removed tourist visa requirements. Chinese tourists can now stay in Thailand for up to 60 days, while Thai tourists can stay in China for 30 days.
Plans are in place to complete a high-speed rail system connecting Thailand to China through Laos by 2028, a development expected to further enhance tourism and trade between the nations.
Read more here.
Philippines' illegal intrusion near Ren'ai Reef denounced
By China Daily
The China Coast Guard did not take direct measures against Philippine personnel on vessels intruding into the waters near Ren'ai Reef, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that the Philippine side has carried weapons and ammunition during its intrusions.
Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks on Wednesday at a regular news conference in Beijing.
The response came after allegations from Manila that the CCG injured several Philippine personnel during an incident near Ren'ai Reef, which is part of China's Nansha Islands. It was the first time the CCG has conducted onboard inspections of Philippine vessels.
The Philippines' intrusion into the waters near the reef, which disregarded China's dissuasion, is the direct cause of this incident, Lin said.
"The Philippines repeatedly claims its resupplies are materials for daily use, but in fact it has been secretly supplying construction materials and even weapons and ammunition to its grounded warship, in an attempt to illegally occupy Ren'ai Reef in the long term," the spokesman said.
The law enforcement action taken by the China Coast Guard on the scene was professional and restrained and aimed at stopping the illegal "resupply mission", he said.
The Philippines dispatched one resupply vessel and two inflatable boats on Monday to intrude into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef and resupply its warship, which had been "grounded" there, the CCG said earlier this week.
The Philippine resupply vessel approached Chinese vessels in a dangerous manner and deliberately rammed them, according to the CCG.
The CCG said it stopped the Philippine vessels, boarded them for inspections and expelled them.
"China urges the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement of China's sovereignty and its provocation," Lin said. "China will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty as well as rights and interests in accordance with the law."
Read more here.