Philippine warship in standoff with China vessels

[icefrog]

China imposes fishing ban in South China Sea MANILA, Philippines - China is set to enforce a fishing banin large swaths of the South China Sea for two-and-a-half months starting this Wednesday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. A Chinese fisheries official said the ban would cover Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. The move is a reiteration of the summer fishing ban declared by China every year since 1999 in the waters that it claims as part of its territory. The enforcement of the ban from May 16 to Aug. 1 was announced by the head of the South China Sea fisheries administration bureau, who told Xinhua that the ban covered Huangyan – the Chinese name for Scarborough. The ban is meant ostensibly to protect marine ecosystems and resources. The ban would cover Chinese and foreign fishermen alike, including those from countries that are laying claim to parts of the Spratlys and other islands and reefs dotting the South China Sea. The start of the fishing ban was announced amid escalating tension between Manila and Beijing over Panatag, which the Philippines says has been part of Masinloc town in Zambales since Spanish times. Last January when China announced that the ban would be imposed, Vietnam, which claims part of the Spratlys and Paracel Islands, protested. Vietnamese fishermen have defied similar bans in the past three years. Scores were arrested and their boats impounded by Chinese authorities. A Xinhua report said the ban “means no fishing will be allowed except for mono-layer gillnets, and hook and line fishing.” China will confiscate boats, fish catch and fishing gear of violators. Chinese fishermen will face fines and their licenses will be suspended.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...bCategoryId=63

[icefrog]

That must be the "face-saving" measure they are talking about.

Philippines, China talking again

2 sides to disengage without losing face

The Philippines and China are talking again, and they are trying to work out a temporary solution to their dispute over Scarborough Shoal, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Friday.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/192359/...-talking-again


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I'm pretty sure, this was China's idea. roll eyes. Philippines will just go-along with it. It's typhoon season on those months. Who are they kidding. Roll eyes again.

[ISNJH]

When they say a ban in effect does that include just the Chinese boats entering the waters or will we see incidents of China harassing Philippine fishing in area?

[ISNJH]

Also this announced ban by China could effect Vietnam fishing in area since in the past many Vietnamese have been arrested or harassed by the Chinese ships in region, so this could actually signal China moving onto stage 2 since they have finished apply pressure for the time being against the Philippines and now may be turning their eyes to putting pressure on Vietnam and the next incident could likely involve harassing of Vietnamese fishing ships and vessels in the region.

[comet]

LOL who is china kidding? They impose a ban AFTER they finish their fishing expedition and denied those other countries fishermen from doing so? ( assuming that article was spot on )

[GummyBear0311]

The Chinese are banning it during the summer caused they already raped those areas of its marine life. Their just waiting for the marine life to build up again.

[hmmwvj]

No, China isn't aggressive

militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?143148-Chinese-fishermen-kills-ROK-Coast-Guard

[Leongkilat]

Newly-built (made in Vietnam) big combat ship for VIETNAM'S MARITIME POLICE - This class of ship has the size of a frigate - 2,200 tons but is only used in Coastal Police force, so NO missiles equipped. Will be launched in a few months from now. This class of ship is built to sink Chinese Fishery Patrol ships and Chinese Marine Surveillance ships. (LOL) More will be built in future. )

Click on the images below to enlarge.

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Nice looking Ship... Let see if the deal between Vietnam and the Philippines in building a new OPV pushes through....

No, China isn't aggressive

militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?143148-Chinese-fishermen-kills-ROK-Coast-Guard

Yep Chinese Fisherman and the PLAN are a peaceful bunch of loons..

With a pang of sarcasm. cough!

[icefrog]

Looks like a lot of damage were done already by the Chinese on the Shoal. It will take more than 2.5 months for it to recover. Would be interesting if the Phils. declares a ban as well and not just until Aug.1 but until the rest of the year and declare they will arrest any fisherman in violation of that ban.

As for the fishing ban, Aquino said: "The Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have been telling us that Scarborough Shoal has already been affected (because of the widespread fishing in the area) - something about the discoloration of the water. There seems to have been damage already inflicted. We want to help the ecosystem recover, and a ban would help in the recovery process."

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/3...in-scarborough

[ISNJH]

Vietnam has said it views the ban on fishing as invalid and will not see it as valid!

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...9#.T7OcdtmBWSo

[icefrog]

Well, then I expect an "encounter" between the Chinese and Vietnamese now. Phils. will take the opportunity to re-group and like I previously said those months are typhoon season anyway.

[ISNJH]

As I had said in an earlier post that China by declaring a ban on their fishing and the Philippines also declaring a ban on fishing in the region for coming months it allows China to now turn attention to applying pressure on Vietnam.

So as you said the stage is now set with Vietnam's declaration that they view the ban as invalid will now set the stage for a stand off in coming months to take place between China and Vietnam..

[icefrog]

China has yet to fulfil commitment to remove vessels from Scarborough Shoal lagoon—Del Rosario

MANILA, Philippines – China has yet follow up on its commitment to remove its 26 fishing vessels inside the lagoon of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Friday.
“That’s precisely what we’re waiting for. We’re waiting for them to be able to meet their commitment to remove those vessels from that lagoon,” Del Rosario said in an interview with reporters before meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and his delegation at the Manila Peninsula.
Wunna arrived with his delegation Thursday for his two-day talks with Filipino officials and the second meeting of the Manila-Yangon Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC).
Del Rosario said China has expressed its intention to remove the vessels. There are no Philippine vessels inside the lagoon.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/400...%94del-rosario

[icefrog]

Scarborough Shoal: It’s PH map vs China map

Old maps, which some government officials believe may hold the key to the Philippines’ claim to Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), were the created by foreign missionaries and colonial explorers, making them “personal and unofficial,” according to a report posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City.
The maps do not in any way represent the views of the government, said the same report written by Lu Yang, a Beijing-based scholar.
It cited a Philippine foreign ministry website article dated April 28, which said that a map drawn by a missionary and published in 1734 was one of the first maps that indicated that Huangyan Island is part of the Philippines.
China refers to the shoal as Huangyan Island while the Philippines calls the rock formation Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal.
The report said another map drawn by Spanish explorers in 1792 and published in 1808 in Madrid bared the path they took in arriving and sailing around the island. It said the Philippines may be hinting that if China can base its sovereignty claims over Huangyan Island on historical maps, so can it.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/400...p-vs-china-map

[icefrog]

Pentagon: US to equip Philippines with powerful radar

WASHINGTON—The US military on Tuesday said it planned to provide a powerful land-based radar to the Philippines as the country faced an escalating dispute with China over territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The radar system will form part of a “watch center” that will track ships off the Philippine archipelago’s coastline, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
“We are in the initial planning stages of assisting the Philippines with a National Coast Watch Center,” Major Catherine Wilkinson told Agence France Presse.
“This center will improve the Philippine maritime domain awareness of a breadth of security issues including countering the proliferation of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to countering illegal smuggling,” Wilkinson said.
The cost and the timeline for the project were still being worked out, she said.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/399...powerful-radar