French press concerned about the situation in the East Sea

Under the headline "New tensions emerge around the Truong Sa archipelago", the French newspaper Le Monde on May 13 commented on developments in the East Sea in recent days.

Previously, the World newspaper (Le Monde) reported that the US Pentagon planned to send warships and fighter jets near the islands that China built in Truong Sa to "ensure freedom of navigation in this vital area of ​​world trade".

Article "New tensions emerge around the Truong Sa archipelago" in Le Monde

The initiative was launched after a recent report by the US Department of Defense on China's unprecedented construction of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, changing the status quo to move towards controlling the entire East Sea.

The article emphasized that China was "extremely concerned" and that its Foreign Ministry had "strongly protested" against the US's plan.

The newspaper commented: That US initiative will be a challenge to Beijing's ambition to expand its influence in this disputed area.

To warn of the risk of escalating tensions in the East Sea, the article recalled the US's reaction to Beijing's announcement of an Air Defense Identification Zone (AIDZ) in the East China Sea in late 2013 when it sent B-52 strategic bombers to the area.

Also regarding the situation in the East Sea, the Liberation newspaper on May 11 published an article by Arnaud Vaulerin, the newspaper's resident correspondent in Japan, emphasizing: For many months now, China has accelerated massive projects to build port and airport infrastructure between the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos...

Satellite images from British analysts IHS Jane's and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies show that construction of the 3,100-meter runway was carried out at an extremely fast pace between August 2014 and mid-April 2015. China has also dredged and built a new port and erected 60 buildings on the island. They even set up a cement factory on site to serve the large construction site.

According to the author of the article, in fact, since the 1990s, China has turned Fiery Cross Reef into a small military base, with a radar station and a helicopter landing pad, but it is still nothing compared to the current state of Fiery Cross Reef. AMTI analysts commented: "In the near future, Fiery Cross Reef will be an important logistics point for the Chinese Navy's operations in the East Sea."

The article commented: China spares no expense in serving its expansionist intentions at sea. A series of Chinese land reclamation projects have been recorded in the Spratly Islands. And nearby, in the Paracel Islands, China continues to upgrade infrastructure on Woody Island and Duncan Island, despite Vietnam's objections.

To help readers better understand China's motives for its island-building activities in the East Sea, "Libération" interviewed Ms. Valérie Niquet, Director of the French Foundation for Strategic Research and an expert on Asia. In response to the question of why China has recently stepped up construction of the islands it occupies in the East Sea, Ms. Valérie Niquet affirmed: Beijing's purpose is to expand the area it occupies, even though according to international law, building runways or ports is not the basis for a country's legitimacy over a territory. Those facilities will help China increase its coast guard presence in the region, creating favorable conditions for its fishing fleets to expand their fishing grounds further south.

According to Ms. Valérie Niquet, the construction of artificial islands also has political motives. Chinese nationalism emerged in the late 2000s, and has become stronger since Xi Jinping took power. Protecting maritime interests is a priority for China. China wants to control the entire East Sea. They have the economic and human resources to expand their footholds in the East Sea. The above constructions are a plot to impose changes to the status quo on Southeast Asian countries./.

According to VOV.VN