Hua Chunying, the spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry argued that, "China's relevant activities are in waters within China's jurisdiction beyond any dispute...." Sounds pretty much a repeat of the same argument used to claim 80% of the SCS.
Meanwhile, the situation continues to escalate with the rhetoric becoming more critical, more nations are gradually getting involved and more countries are upgrading their military just in case things get out of hand.

China, however, still insists that its everyone's fault but theirs.

Commie China are all puppets and they all sound like a broken tape repeater.

Too bad at the end of the day it's nothing but lip service and the Philippines should know very well what those two words mean by now:

http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

The Philippines' case against China is now in the hands of the court. Any opinion regarding this matter is now irrelevant. In the meantime, try to stay on topic.

The activities are on the chinese side of the Japanese version of map.

That is correct. Chinese are basically drilling on their undisputed side of the EEZ.

Not according to this article. Read paragraph 3.

Well whatever article that is, it's either wrong or you mistead

Japan is questioning China's moves and that is a fact. Who eventually will prevail is still undetermined.

Everyone questions everyone else's moves. The basic fact was and remains you didn't know what you were talking about

Both Japan and China are making their own claims. You are wrong to say that China is right because the issue has not been settled yet in the proper court.
You also have been insisting that in the Philippines case against China, "both sides need to agree to a hearing". That shows a total ignorance of the rules in the arbitration.
To put it in plain language, you don't know what you are talking about.

SCS may be different, but with regard to East China Sea, China's legal position is strong. Basically China has oil rigs within its own undisputed EEZ. Japan's contention is, well this is too close to our disputed zone and you risk siphoning gas in the disputed zone away. But technically the Japanese can't even extract gas even if they get the EEZ they wanted. They still need to bargain for Chinese help.

http://sun-bin.blogspot.com...

This article author either too lazy or simply did a secretarial job transcribing the Japanese position.

In the ECS, China relied on the provisions of UNCLOS to counter Japan. But in the SCS, China has adamantly refused to participate in the UNCLOS arbitration and has repeatedly stated that it is not bound to any unfavorable ruling by the court.
So, what are countries going to do with this kind of duplicitous behavior?

SCS is about *territorial jurisdiction*, something UNCLOS doesn't cover. ECS, on the other hand, is a contention on the boundary of EEZ, something the UNCLOS is designed exactly to put rules around.

And the Japanese claim that China is a threat, simply by building an oil rig in its own *undisputed* EEZ, laughably absurd. But evidently an argument found purchase by willing schmucks.

The SCS dispute between China and the Philippines is about the legality or illegality of the 9 dash line and whether the features in the Spratlys are islands or rocks. It is a maritime dispute and not territorial in nature, a detail that some posters can't seem to understand.
.
Anyway, the issue we're discussing here (which you apparently failed to grasp) is not whether who is right and who is wrong. That is for the courts to decide. The issues are 1) China's repeated utterances that all its claims are indisputable/uncontestable, which is a total hogwash because of the mere fact there are on going disputes and those claims are being contested. And 2) China's duplicitous use of UNCLOS when it thinks it's in its favor, and to ignore it when it's not.

Both sides have lawyers. International arbitration says that both sides need to agree to a hearing. China of course doesn't want to do that. This is a game of geopolitics. If you want rights and wrongs, there is always Korean TV Dramas

By the way, SCS was inhabited by no one. This out-right land grab was, believe it or not, started out by Philippines followed by Vietnam. If anything, China's late to the game.

Re your point on 9 dash line, that's a territorial dispute. Again, that's not something UNCLOS covers.

Some people are really very confused. In the Permanent Court of Arbitration where this case is being heard, if one of the states refused to participate in order to settle a dispute, the arbitration can still continue and render a decision. (Look it up so we can cut short this discussion)
And the Philippines case against China is about maritime entitlements, not territorial. That is why the Philippines is asking the tribunal to determine if the 9 dash line is illegal because if it is, then China cannot claim any entitlement within the EEZ of the Philippines.
However, China claimed that this dispute is about territory and therefore not in the PCA's jurisdiction. For a country who kept insisting that its claim on the SCS is "indisputable" and therefore there is no need for it to participate, this looks to be a desperate attempt to stop the arbitration from proceeding.
As a response, the Philippines presented its counter arguments on the matter, and now the PCA is in the process of resolving the issue.

Oh sure, Court of Aribitration can issue an judgement. In fact they can issue as many judgements as they like, but without China's consent it's not enforcement.

Re your point on maritime entitlements, such entitlements indeed is covered by UNCLOS but it is a function of territorial ownership, which UNCLOS doesn't cover and which was my point. Territorial sovereignty needs to be negotiated by all parties involved. Phillipines could either negotiate with China for concrete results, or attempt for victory in arbitration which is not guaranteed but entirely pyrrhic in substance.

Looks like Del Rosario likes the latter.

What happened to the islands Phillipines grabbed in the 70's by the way? Still got them?

You are still confused. Maritime entitlements is about EEZ or Exclusive Economic Zone. Artificial islands do not generate EEZ. If China's 9 dash line is declared illegal it would mean that China does not have any legitimate claim inside the Philippines' EEZ. With China having no legitimate claims, the Philippines would not have any reason to negotiate about anything.
Anyway, it's good to see that now you have seen the fallacy of your claim that "International arbitration says that both sides need to agree to a hearing."
With regards to enforcement, like what the old saying says, "there is more than one way to skin a cat."

Am I didnt saying this before? China is a threat to peace and instability of this region. Well its better late than never.

You are totally right. Chinese bloggers / apologists are trying to deflect this issue by calling PH as the real trouble-maker and accuse PH of dragging Japan into this mess.

Look under the hood, Abe's Real Target is the Japanese people. He want to stir up the China threat so he can tear up the Japanese Constitution Article 9 'Japan to forever renounce war'. Abe think Japanese people are stupid or just too docile. They should not allow him to turn Japan into Imperial Japan again.

China threat is real... that's a facts!

Abe is Japanese PacMan. He is engaged in a Smokeless War and will flip at the last minute to surprise his 'ally' US. He is from the old school conservative Shinto religion and Resent Western culture Defiling Japan. The sooner he can return Japan to the old feudal system, the better he think it will be. The Real Enemy from Abe's viewpoint is US, not China. Animosity with China is basically just Diaoyu/Senkaku while the much bigger conflict is cultural with US. Abe just won't say it so as not to offend his guest/partner.

You can see from article below Abe promotes Japanese conservative values and US values conflict with his view how Japanese should live their
lives.

http://thediplomat.com/2015...

"Abe is also a member of the Shinto Seiji Renmei, the political wing
of the Association of Shinto Shrines, which is a religious
administrative organization that oversees around 80,000 Shinto shrines
across Japan. The Seiji Renmei’s mission,along with promoting Shintoism, is to preserve Japan’s culture and traditions so that they can be passed on to future generations. It looks to achieve this by calling for the Constitution and educational practices to be revised in line its conservative values. This recently found support from the government, when it prevailed on Japanese universities to sing the national anthem. The Seiji Renmei also promotes the Imperial family and the controversial Yasukuni Shrine visits."

You are hallucinating....!!!

Abe's Japan is resenting the loss of the Japan's war against Asia, particularly China and USA. Unapologetic, and refuse to move beyond it. This is the problem of Japan--it was making some progress, but Abe brought it back into point.

In future history, Abe will be recorded as the one who cause the destruction of Japan. Two A-bombs were not enough to remind them to change.

Japan is US dog now, so cannot buck its master, so it lashes out at China. Once the US loosens the leash enough, Japan will also bite the USA.

But what Japan most likes to see is a war between China and USA--its two perceived enemies, one directed stated, the other hidden under a veneer of docility. If China and USA go to war, maybe a war instigated by Japan, Japan would love it.

What the US should be guarding against is "the tail wagging the dog"--its Japanese dog trying to get it into trouble.

US is using Japanese dog well, but don't get bitten.

He want to stir up the China threat so he can tear up the Japanese Constitution Article 9 'Japan to forever renounce war'.

In that case, Mr. Abe must have a lot to thank for Xi and the CCP/PLA. They are playing exactly as he would like them to.

China isn't exactly helping my stirring up the Japan threat at home. Okin, what do you actually think Abe's end game is? A Neo-Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? The only country with even close to this capability in the near to far future is China.

You will be shocked at my conclusion. Japan and China's end game is to Kick US out of their neighborhood. The Chinese case is obvious. The Japanese case is basically Abe tying to ease out of US imposed security arrangement, cloaked as 'ally'. The moment Japan see herself as able to ween herself away from US economically, she will tell US to Get Lost. China and Japan will just sign a peace treaty, keeping Diaoyu/Senkaku As Before, 'dead zone' But this time Without US involvement. The Whole North East will be integrated, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea will be integrated with China making a masterful stroke so All her neighbors will find it palatable to sign on to a region wide peace treaty. So US have Zero reason to hang out in China's neighborhood. Everybody win but US! Of course US will continue to stoke low level tension if possible in order to Maintain Her Relevance. If not, US will seek Another Playground, this time in the Indian Ocean, hoping India come onboard.

This Chinese dream. of integrating Japan ,Taiwan and Korea. into china is what ur neighbor fear.This is china's dream of capturing other countries land .Ur words r only packaged aggression and threat

That was Japanese dream and what they attempted to do in WW2--remember?

Sorry ,but that was Fre Okin's. dream .
Japan's dream was decades ago now Fre Okin and China having same dream .

We Japanese prefer to be in bed with fellow Democrats. You can keep your delusions to yourself.

Japan's is trying to more than revive The Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, but that translation is too mild, Japan wants to be the ruler of Asia--what it had attempted to do before. China was the biggest obstacle to its ambitions, but it thought it could dispatch off China in 3 months--did not happen. They were so full of themselves that they concurrently attacked the USA, thinking they could wipe out the US navy entirely with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Did not succeed. Some ships were not in harbor, and they forgot to destroy the entire infrastructure. Too arrogant.

Japan's regret is that it lost the war, and does not repent; Japan surrendered just to fight another day, keeping all their military production manufacturers intact, like Mitsubishi.

Japanese always want to prove that they are superior to the Chinese, from whom they were derived, the descendants thereof, but they are a bastardized version, not an improved version because they failed to learn benevolence and magnanimity. They adopted Sun Tzu's The Art of War but failed to understand its admonitions.

But who the Japanese hate most is the Americans for dropping the A-bombs on them--Abe and crew have said that US used WMD on Japan (but their use of biological and chemical weapons was OK). The Japanese have been bowing and scraping to the Americans for 70 years, biding their time to throw off the US yoke. Most Japanese do not know because the Japanese and so polite and friendly to Americans, smiling to their faces. This is the Japanese two-faced nature. The time is now for Japan. Once they have re-militarized, and acquired the full capability, they will instigated war between the USA and China, and then on either the winner or both of the weakened combatants; putting out both America and China. Such is Japan's increasingly apparent agenda, characteristically Japanese--read history.

Chinese and Koreans understand the Japanese psyche. Americans should wise up.

You hate the Japanese entirely too much to come close to understanding their psyche. The vast majority of the Japanese public embraced a pacifist constitution after living under what was a military dictatorship for decades.

You presume the hatred China and Korea systemically instills in its children for Japan give you clarity. Anyone with even a moderate amount of education in classical philosophy would tell you that you can't overgeneralize an entire populace. Especially considering Korea was under military dictatorship until the 90's and China has been under an Authoritarian regime since....since....erm...when wasn't it?

You have to be Chinese or Korean to understand the Japanese. Chinese, Korean and Japanese are actually quite alike, all branches off of the same root, a kinship actually. This is something non-CKJ or non-Asian can rarely understand, at least not on a deeper level.

It is not a matter of hate, but of perspective. Got no problem with Japanese, except if they try to repeat their Fascism. Fighting within the family is not right, and insidious, but unite against the enemy without.

Nothing is wrong with authoritarianism as along as there is benevolence and justice along with it. A benevolent dictator is better than a democratic moron.

The presumption being that the CCP is benevolent. Locking up your artists and intellectuals for thinking differently isn't benevolent. It is tacitly malevolent.

No one has any problem with China either, unless it starts taking lessons from Japans early 20th century fascism. The parallels exist.

Not speaking about CCP per se, but authoritarianism itself as a concept--it needs to be coupled with benevolence and justice to work. Think of a father, upbringing his children, what method will raise the best kids?

Read Sun Tzu, I think he presents it best. It is paradoxical but enlightening that The Art of War, a treatise on war, should admonish that war should be avoid and only resorted to when all else has failed. Furthermore, it states that a war must be just, and the ruler benevolent. And it further states.....

"No one has any problem with China either, unless it starts taking lessons from Japans early 20th century fascism. The parallels exist." I don't think there is a parallel--China and Japan have always been different throughout more recent history--SAY THE PAST 500 YEARS.

China did not go about grabbing other peoples' lands, and was content to be by itself until the West impinged. Japan had been making incursions into China all throughout this period. Japan is simply not content to stay on its own islands, like the Europeans. When Admiral He went on voyages 600 years ago, it was to trade, not to conquer and occupy.

China needs to be strong to protect and defend itself from the West and Japan--that is all--self-defense. What other country has suffered as much humiliation from the West and Japan?

Live and let live is China's approach--you don't foil me, I don't foil you. How is that being an aggressor? US pivoting to Asia, circling and containing China, and China is deemed the aggressor? Japan stockpiling submarines and ships, and building up military capability using China as an excuse.

Oh'my God .Japan has been grabbing others land and has grown into a monster today .China has been loosing it's land and become small today .
And let us count no of subs that Japan and China have we will know who is stockpiling wepons .
It is good China Japan and US will check each other good for Asia

In authoritarianism if the ruler is not benevolent there is no mechanism for his removal, outside of rebellion. Depending on the leader to be benevolent is silly.

Especially considering how many sociopaths or excel in the field of politics. Sun Tzu was a brilliant figure in ancient china. However lets not forget he was born 150 years or so after iron was discovered. The "people" weren't educated enough to make a decision for who should rule them and kings were the logical course.

"China and Japan have always been different throughout more recent history--SAY THE PAST 500 YEARS."

You misunderstand my point, the birth of Japanese fascism has its roots in the post Meiji-Era, where a nationalist fervor took the nation and a new young group of military officers began to control the course of the nation and the concept of national identity.

China does not have a fascist government, however their censure of ideas, their treatment of Uighur and Tibetan culture, and willingness to use their military to press their political goals (Sino-Vientamese War/Tienanmen Square Massacre) do have parallels with Japans militarist actions in the pre-ww1 setting.

Right down to China's current plans to invade Taiwan, occupy it, and erase what has become a distinct identity. (If they have the audacity to make de jure what is already de factor, IE their independence.)

As far as China grabbing other peoples land, are we forgetting the successive attempts at occupying the Korean peninsula? How about 2 attempts to invade Japan? Tibet, Taiwan, and Xinjiang were independent lands at one point. That changed via military force.

While were on the topic of Zheng He, he brought a military force 20,000 strong....for trade? The routes that he went along were routes that were already well known, and used by this time period. Using equal measures coercion and force he established tributary states along the trade routes he re-explored. Establishing tributary states is a form of expansionism.

I think playing the victim game is going to get less and less interesting to the world. China is far past military parity with China, China can defend itself from Japan easily, and there is no will in the Japanese public for war in general. However China after, as you said, a century of humiliation is happy to have a war where they can flex their muscles and show the world their power.

How about this, if China doesn't want to be an aggressor I ask China to define the 9 dash line.

This is getting to be an interesting discussion and exchange

First of all, benevolence is never silly. However, benevolence is rare, and that Sun Tzu would place this attribute so high should cause us to reflect some.

In authoritarianism, if ruler is not benevolent, no mechanism to remove--that is true. In democracy, is there a mechanism to remove when the ruler is not benevolent? Are we seeing impeachments? Are we seeing the peoples' will manifested or manipulated?

Although Sun Tzu wrote over 2,000 years ago, the greatness of the work is that it presents principles that are deemed timeless in application. The basic nature of man has not changed much--we still have avarice, envy, love, hate, etc., and we still die, and need to do the Che-He-La-Sa (eat-drink-urinate-defecate) routine. Dismiss Sun Tzu if you will, I don't.

Thanks for elaborating on the birth of Japanese fascism. Would you say they hijacked the people for their purposes and own aggrandizement?

China is evolving--and it is too early to entirely condemn. Compare China to North Korea--how the two have diverged in development. Both Mao and Chiang are rolling in their graves. And whom would have thought Communist China would transform into such a capitalist country? Sino-Vietnamese war is in the past, along with Tienanmen--although the wounds are still there since not able to openly discuss, along with the CR.

As far as Taiwan is concerned, Taiwan is a province of China--I have expressed my views extensively elsewhere, so will not repeat. I am from Taiwan, and I would say, Taiwan is as ethnically Chinese as the light of day. The only people who can legitimately claim to be "Taiwanese" are the aborigines.

After 50 years of Japanese occupation, an entire Taiwan generation was warped--as you may be able to imagine--just visualize it--to survive one had to kowtow and serve the Japanese masters--to be their dog, and deny one's Chinese adherence to avoid persecution. Such traitors curried favor of the Japanese by reporting on the Chinese--and they were rewarded and their children were sent to Japan for education.

Tsai Ing-wen and Lee Tung-hui are descendants of those Chinese who served the Japanese during that period. They want to make the case for independence to serve their selfish agendas, not for the true benefit of the people.

What did China do to grab the Korean peninsula? Are you talking about 1st Sino-Japanese War and WW2?

Re Admiral Zheng He in 1400's, he had 317 ships and 27,000 men--average of 85 men per ship. Tributary states is not exactly like occupation--no stationing of troops, or colonization. You could say US still occupies Japan and Korea, no?

It is not a victim game, or playing a victim game. China was victimized in the past, but the victim has gotten stronger and is telling the world it will not be victimized again, and not to try. A victim game is like saying you need to give me a handout and support me because you victimized or enslaved me in the past. No?

Japan, under Abe, is seeking to revert to militarism, and making all the moves. China's concern is that Japan may seek to replay history, which it will never allow--even if 1.2 billion Chinese need to be sacrificed to wipe out the Japanese it would be worth it--during WW2 the ratio was 8 Chinese in exchange for 1 Japanese life.

There is a difference between offense and defense. Going into another person's neighborhood and backyard is being offensive. Setting up defenses in one's own backyard is not being offensive. The possession/development of offensive versus defensive weapons was delineated for Japan--but they seek to circumvent.

Re the 9 dashed line. How about the US 3 lines of defense? What is good for the goose is good for the gander. There is no first amongst equals.

I did not say benevolence is silly, I said depending on your leaders to be benevolent is silly. The old adage applies: "Trust but verify." This is why the united states has an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial. Each branch is independent of the power of the other. Checks and balances in other words.

In democracy if a leader is guilty of malfeasance, then they may be impeached, however we don't do this unless there is clear proof of something major, you haven't seen it because there hasn't been a big enough controversy for it to be worthwhile.

Beyond that if a leader is incompetent when his term is up, he won't be re-elected, again because hes incompetent.

The nature of humans hasn't changed since Sun Tzu, however our education level has. Kings existed because people by and large led short, ignorant lives marrying their cousins. That is no longer the case....mostly.

As far as Taiwan is concerned they are ethnically Chinese but you can't just say "They are a province of China", and think the rest of the world owes that truth to you. We can outright ignore that thought process as BY FACT Taiwan is a sovereign nation separate from China.

For example, culturally and genetically Finland, Scandinavia and a host of other northeastern European nations share similar ethnicity. Nordic. They are also separate countries. *GASP*

Saying Taiwan is a province and not a nation doesn't make it right, it makes you and the CCP a petulant child. The Taiwanese youth see themselves as Taiwanese. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF SELF DETERMINATION. No one has the right to say who they are and are not.

As far as Korea goes I'm more referring tot he 6-8 attempts of annexing Korea in the last 600 years. If you claim the right to land based on being the heir to the Chinese empire, you accept the negative actions undertaken in her name in the past as well.

It being different does not differ from the fact that a military was used to create a diplomatic agreement in which resources from one state are transferred to the other due to threat of violence from the larger state. Its still wrong.

As far as the U.S. occupying Japan or Korea you are factually incorrect. We are guests at the pleasure of both sovereign nations.

The U.S. maintains no administration or supervision over any occupied territory. We are GRANTED administration of the bases we reside upon, again at the pleasure of our host.

Militarism is defined maintaining a strong military force for defense or promotion of national interest. The same thing China is doing.

Furthermore its downright stupid to think Japan would attempt to occupy Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria as:

1. The world wouldn't stand for it.

2. The people of Japan have no desire or stomach for it.

3. There is everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain.

4. Japan lacks even close to the necessary population and military to even attempt something that grandiose. Demographics alone for Japan show they don't have enough people to man their factories, much less their military for a massive invasion. I completely support Japans aims to develop an offensive capability. IE: Cruise Missiles, Aircraft Carriers. Its stupid to wait to be hit before hitting back, especially when you see the punch coming.

I have no idea what the U.S. 3 Lines of Defense are. Would you elucidate.

I do not think you have a good understanding of Taiwan and its genesis. Taiwan is a sovereign nation--ROC. This is a point I do not wish to re-visit--suffice to say I disagree with your viewpoint. Scandinavia is not a good analogy. Germany, Vietnam and Korea are the better analogies.

In theory and conception, separation of powers and the check and balances are good, but implementation is not well and can be gamed. I won't elaborate except to say, all is not as swell in USA as what some would like to believe. Incompetent leaders are re-elected all the time--election process is a farce.

"The nature of humans hasn't changed since Sun Tzu, however our education level has. Kings existed because people by and large led short, ignorant lives marrying their cousins. That is no longer the case....mostly." Love it. Only learned men are modern?

US is not occupying Korea and Japan, and there at their behest. So if Japanese citizens demonstrate to have US pull out, US would do so? Ditto the South Koreans? I kind of doubt it. As far as I understand, Japan does pay US a protection fee. Things are not so clear cut, but too complex to explore here.

The US 3 lines of defense--is part of the Chinese conception of the US containment strategy against China. I am trying to find a reference for you.

You are right. His economic policy (called Abenomics) ended up a failure. Now he needs something to salvage his political career. What better way than China!

To YuMee – North Korea may still be bound by some alliance treaty with China (this needs checking), but it looks very much like she (North Korea) wants to have as little to do as possible with China. Evidence is plentiful (this can be checked quite easily). In fact, there’s plenty of evidence showing the disgust (if not enmity) that the strong-willed North Koreans feel, and DISPLAY for the whole world to see, toward China’s rulers, especially toward China’s communist chief Mr Xi JinPing. More bluntly, North Korea, like the rest of the world, sees China’s rulers as a mortal danger to humanity, with their boundless expansionist greed and blood-curdling barbarity (TianAnMen Square, Great Cultural Revolution, Great Leap Forward, genocide in Cambodia by DengXiaoPing-MaoZeDong-PolPot partnership, genocide in Tibet and East Turkestan (Xin-Jiang), etc. being some proofs). If the USA, Japan and South Korea stop demonizing, embargoing, threatening North Korea, it can easily be predicted that she would just be as friendly to them (USA, Japan and South Korea) as the Cubans and the Burmese have turned out to be recently. After all, North Korea has no expansionist ambition, no desire to steal, rob or conquer anyone, no ambition (not possible) to surpass anyone to be number one, two, three, in the world, etc. She just wants to be left alone!

Spoken like a North Korean, Tony_Wang, erh, Tony _Kim. China and North Korea had the same rhetoric years ago, but China changed, whereas North Korea is still spewing the same stuff.

And Japan's neighbors all see Japan as their main security threats.

Japan is far from threatening anyone in the last 70 years, if it does somehow become a threat in the future its all thanks to the hard work of grudging spiteful people like yourself.

Just because of its pacifist constitution that's why. Now Abe want to change that

And who is giving Abe the excuse he is looking to do what he wants.