China plans garrison to ‘defend’disputed islands
* China says it owns much of the South China Sea
* Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia each claim portions
CHINA: Beijing will establish a military garrison on a group of
disputed islands in the South China Sea, China's defence ministry said
Monday, a move likely to provoke further tensions with its neighbours.
The troops will operate from Sansha in the Paracel Islands, one of two
archipelagos in the South China Sea that are claimed by both China and
Vietnam.
The garrison, approved by the Central Military Commission, “will be
responsible for the Sansha area national defence mobilisation and
reserve forces activities”, the defence ministry said on its website.
The ministry did not say when the garrison would be established, but
the move to station troops on the Paracels is likely to provoke Hanoi's
ire.
Beijing's move last month to designate Sansha as its administrative
centre for the Paracels and the Spratly Islands prompted a rare
demonstration Sunday in the Vietnamese capital against China's
territorial assertions.
China and South Vietnam once administered different parts of the
Paracels but after a brief conflict in 1974 Beijing took control of the
entire group of islands. Vietnam holds several of the larger Spratly
Islands.
China says it owns much of the South China Sea, while the
Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia each claim portions.
Disputes have flared in recent weeks, with Vietnam and the
Philippines criticising what they call Chinese encroachment.
In June, the state-backed China National Offshore Oil Corporation
announced it was welcoming bids to explore oil blocks in the disputed
waters, a week after Vietnam adopted a law placing the Spratlys under
its sovereignty.
A July 13 meeting of the Association of Southeast Nations broke up
without a joint statement for the first time in 45 years because members
could not agree on how to refer to China's behaviour in the disputed
waters.
The countries are draftinga “code of conduct” to try to overcome the
rift.
AFP |