Japanese newspaper publishes article exposing China's intention to monopolize the East Sea

On February 10, the Japan Times devoted half of page 3 to the article “China “tests new airport in Truong Sa - New phase of campaign to monopolize the East Sea?” by Dr. Tran Cong Truc.

The article has exposed the intention to gradually monopolize the East Sea, and pointed out that China's recent actions have seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, going against the common perception of high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and China, the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues between Vietnam and China, and the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in 2002.

Here is the full text of the article:

“Testing” the new airport in Truong Sa - A new phase in China's pursuit of domination of the East Sea?

In early 2016, China conducted test flights at the newly built airport illegally on Cross Reef, Truong Sa. Immediately afterwards, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note protesting China and the Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Le Hai Binh, stated that China's actions had seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, and demanded that China immediately stop and not repeat similar actions.

The US, Philippines and Japan then expressed deep concern over China's actions.

China's illegal construction activities on Subi Reef, Truong Sa archipelago under Vietnam's sovereignty. (Source: SIA)

The essence of the Cross Airport test:

1. What is the purpose of this test flight?

China explained that: "The Chinese government conducted a test flight to this airport with a civilian aircraft to check whether the facilities here meet civil aviation standards?"

However, after what China has done in the East Sea, especially the sea reclamation activities, turning seven shoals and rocks (mainly submerged and submerged reefs) in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago into large-scale artificial islands and building 3 runways on Chu Thap, Xubi and Vanh Khan, each 3,000m long, along with submerged and submerged military bases, people cannot believe the above beautiful statements of China.

That makes public opinion once again affirm that China is determined to militarize the East Sea, regardless of all reactions and concerns from countries in the region and internationally. Because, only by doing so, can China control and monopolize the East Sea, which in the immediate future directly threatens the security and safety of international maritime and aviation passing through the East Sea.

When the air bridge from Hainan, through Hoang Sa, to Truong Sa comes into operation smoothly, along with the launch of the initiative "21st century maritime silk road"... it can be seen that by then, China will take action to "make waves" in the East Sea according to the scenario and order that they have outlined in advance.

2. The “test flight” has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, going against the common perception of the two countries’ senior leaders, the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues between Vietnam and China, and the spirit of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Why?

First, China has used force to turn nothing into something, turning undisputed seas and islands into disputed seas and islands:

The undeniable historical truth is that before the 19th century, the Chinese people always considered the sea and ocean a threat to their existence, partly because they could not control them, and partly because piracy had always been a threat for centuries, creating a great concern for the Chinese feudal court.

Many harsh prohibition policies were put in place as a guideline for economic, commercial, and cultural exchanges... There were times when anyone who set foot in the sea was considered a great sin, and people were forced to migrate 40 miles inland, leaving not a single person along the coast from south to north.

In fact, it was after the Opium War that the threat from coastal areas awakened the Chinese people's maritime consciousness, forming a series of ideas about maritime strategy.

That is why China began to take steps towards the sea at the beginning of the 20th century. The first event was in 1909 when Li Zhun commanded three gunboats to the Paracel Islands, made a lightning landing on Woody Island, and then hastily withdrew.

In 1946, taking advantage of the disarmament of the defeated Japanese army, the government of the Republic of China sent troops to occupy the eastern part of the Paracel Islands. However, with the Preliminary Agreement signed by President Ho Chi Minh with the French Republic on March 6, 1946, Vietnam was still part of the French Union, so France still exercised the right to represent Vietnam in the issue of fighting against sovereignty violations in the Paracel Islands. At that time, France's strong reactions to the illegal occupation of Chiang Kai-shek's army in the Paracel Islands and the weakening of Mao Zedong's army in the country forced the Republic of China's army to withdraw from Phu Lam Island, part of the Paracel Islands, ending the short period of illegal occupation of the archipelago.

On October 14, 1950, the French Government officially handed over the management and protection of Hoang Sa to the Bao Dai Government. Taking advantage of the chaotic historical moment in Vietnam when the French expeditionary force withdrew from Vietnamese territory according to the Geneva Agreement, China "secretly" sent troops to occupy the eastern island group of Hoang Sa archipelago in 1956.

On February 21, 1959, the People's Republic of China sent a number of soldiers disguised as fishermen to secretly land on the islands of Huu Nhat, Duy Mong, and Quang Hoa in order to capture the remaining islands of the Hoang Sa archipelago, but they were discovered by the forces of the Republic of Vietnam. 82 Chinese soldiers disguised as fishermen along with five armed fishing boats were captured and taken to Da Nang for detention, then returned to China.

In 1970, at the height of Vietnam’s war against the US, the People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted some “less secret” activities on the An Vinh island group – the eastern part of the Paracel Islands. Many military infrastructures were built in 1971.

From January 17, 1974, China launched an attack on the Republic of Vietnam's naval forces with a powerful force consisting of a fleet of eight warships, army and air force. Faced with the careful preparation and large and strong force of the Chinese navy, the Republic of Vietnam's army was unable to protect the remaining island group west of the Paracel Islands.

In early March 1988, after illegally occupying five shoals and rocks in the Truong Sa archipelago (including Chu Thap, Chau Vien, Huy Go, Ga Ven and Xu Bi), China mobilized forces from two fleets to the Truong Sa archipelago including 9-12 warships, two artillery frigates, two landing ships, three transport ships, a survey ship and a large pontoon to support the capture of Gac Ma, Co Lin and Len Dao. Of which, Gac Ma is a coral reef located south of Sinh Ton and Sinh Ton Dong islands that the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of South Vietnam took over in late April 1975.

By March 14, 1988, the Chinese navy, with its superior strength, had occupied Gac Ma Reef, but Vietnam was still able to protect Co Lin and Len Dao. In 1995, China occupied Vanh Khan Reef, which was then administered by the Philippines.

Thus, China's use of force to establish sovereignty is completely illegal, a serious violation of international law. Specifically, Article 2, Clause 4 of the United Nations Charter, "strictly prohibits states from using force in international relations, especially prohibiting the use of force to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states."

The content of this provision in the United Nations Charter is a fundamental principle of international law, requiring all member states of the United Nations, including China, to comply. This principle was developed and specified in Resolution 2625 of October 24, 1970 of the United Nations General Assembly, which stipulates: “Every State has the duty to refrain from the threat or use of force to violate the existing international boundaries of another State or (regarding the threat or use of force) as a means of solving international disputes, including territorial disputes and problems concerning frontiers of States... The territory of a State shall not be the object of military occupation resulting from the use of force in contravention of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. The territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by another State resulting from the threat or use of force. No territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal.”

Through careful examination of the documents provided by the Chinese, Ms. Monique Chemillier Gendreau, professor of public law and political science at the University of Paris VII Denis Diderot, former President of the French Democratic Lawyers Association, former President of the European Lawyers Association, concluded that the Chinese had known for a long time that there were many scattered islands in the East Sea, but they were not enough of a legal basis to defend the argument that China was the first country to discover, explore, exploit and manage these two archipelagos.

Obviously, China has been “turning nothing into something” since the beginning of the 20th century, by exploiting historical moments to organize the occupation of the Hoang Sa archipelago and some geographical entities of the Truong Sa archipelago in 1956, 1974, 1988, 1995 and illegally occupying them until today.

Not stopping there, China has also carried out a series of other illegal activities and organized further steps to carry out its plot to monopolize the East Sea, turning "undisputed waters into disputed waters," and finding every way to realize its "cow tongue line" claim that covers over 90% of the East Sea area.

Second, the organization reclaims land to create islands, turning submerged and submerged rocks and shoals into large islands, building them into "unsinkable aircraft carriers," and creating powerful military bases for attack...

China’s continued dangerous moves and calculations to realize its ambitions have gone against what China has committed. Specifically, China has been stepping up construction activities, turning shoals and rocks into large-scale artificial islands and building offensive military bases on these artificial islands.

The occupation of the Paracel Islands and some reefs in the Spratly Islands is just the first step in China’s strategy in the East Sea. Gaining control of the archipelagos is just a stepping stone for China to invade the waters of the East Sea by military force.

Therefore, after occupying the Paracel Islands and some shoals and rocks in the Spratly Islands, China has tried to consolidate these entities not only with the meaning of "improving" the living conditions for the Chinese army stationed here, but more deeply, wanting to turn these points into military fortresses, some people even liken them to fixed "aircraft carriers" to be able to move further to the South China Sea.

In the Paracel Islands, China has illegally occupied them for more than 40 years and built a massive, large-scale infrastructure system. Most notably, on October 7, 2014, China announced the completion of a 2km-long airport in the North-South direction on Phu Lam Island, Paracel Islands.

In the Truong Sa archipelago, China has invested billions of dollars to reclaim land and build military bases on the shoals, the Cross Reef, the Chau Vien Reef, and especially the Gac Ma Reef. China’s actions have been carefully calculated in their strategy to monopolize the East Sea.

If China’s occupation of the Paracel Islands and some reefs in the Spratly Islands of Vietnam is considered a military invasion, then its construction activities on those entities are the main attack of a “soft invasion.” From there, they will exploit natural resources including seafood, oil and gas, and then move on to control the airspace and international shipping routes through the East Sea. The evidence is that China has done the same thing in the waters of the Senkaku Islands - (also known as Diaoyu) - which they dispute with Japan when they issued the so-called “air defense identification zone” (ADIZ).

Large-scale construction activities on shoals and rocks, turning "sunken shoals" into large military bases, turning "sunken shoals" into "floating islands" and "unsinkable fixed aircraft carriers" are serious violations of the DOC.

China claims that the “cow tongue line” with more than 90% of the East Sea area and the Paracel and Spratly Islands (ie Hoang Sa and Truong Sa) belong to China’s sovereignty. The issue of how far China will take back is the extent of their military strength. This has shown that China’s ambition and determination towards the East Sea are unchanged. Regardless of international law, public opinion and relations with countries in the region, China is gradually realizing its plot to monopolize the East Sea.

The East Sea has become a hot spot not only in the region but also internationally. Only recently, the illegal operation of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig and its escort fleet from May 2 to July 15, 2014 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf has made the political situation in the East Sea extremely tense.

Many politicians even say that China's placement of the drilling rig in Vietnam's waters is a "brinkmanship" policy. If we compare the activities of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig with the construction of military bases in the Hoang Sa archipelago and some shoals and rocks in the Truong Sa archipelago, the level of danger of what they are doing is many times higher.

The above mentioned island reclamation and construction shows that China is aiming at the following goals:

Legally, it consolidates in practice the “inviolable sovereignty” that China has used force to occupy since 1988. It is worth noting that China is trying to turn the Cross Reef, as well as other geographical entities that it has occupied, from shoals and rocks into islands, from coral reefs unsuitable for human life into islands “suitable for human habitation” and having “their own economic life,” to create conditions for making claims to the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the “Nansha Islands.” This is also a way to “legitimize” the “cow tongue” border that is being refuted by public opinion.

Economically, is this a logistical base serving the exploitation of biological and non-biological resources in the southern part of the East Sea, which contains rich and diverse resources that China is seeking to invade, especially oil and gas, a fuel source that China hopes can satisfy its "thirst" for energy?

When China begins drilling for oil and gas on the continental shelves of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, etc., a logistics base here will be the most effective economic solution. At the same time, this is also an ideal logistics base for the fishing activities of thousands of Chinese fishing vessels that are rushing down to exploit the rich and valuable seafood resources in the South China Sea.

Regarding national security and defense, together with the defense bases built and put into operation in the Hoang Sa archipelago, the military bases in Gac Ma, Chu Thap, Xu Bi, and Vanh Khan will form a continuous military attack system, a solid outpost of China in the East Sea... serving all invasions planned to realize their strategy of monopolizing the East Sea.

The construction of airports in Chu Thap, Xu Bi, and Vanh Khan is a challenge and also a danger to all countries bordering the East Sea, seriously threatening the security and safety of international navigation through the East Sea. It is worth noting that the airports being urgently built here also aim to control international aviation activities through the East Sea airspace. Is it related to China's announcement of the Air Defense Identification Zone that they are planning to implement in the East Sea sky?

In terms of media information, China deliberately released this information at this time to challenge public opinion, affirm its strategic determination before domestic and international public opinion, and pave the way for their new adventures.

In particular, this may also be the way China is implementing the tactic of pushing the very complicated internal conflicts to the outside.

History proves that China's words cannot be trusted.

Previously, when they invaded and occupied six reefs and rocks in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago in 1988 or occupied Vanh Khan reef in 1995, China claimed that they were only building shelters for fishermen to avoid storms. But then, they built a series of fortifications, solid floating houses, equipped them with guns, turning these places into imposing fortresses. This time they did the same, nothing different.

This is truly a headache for the parties directly involved, especially for Vietnam when our legitimate sovereignty is being seriously violated by China. This is also a challenge that China openly poses to public opinion, law and international order, including the US. If China is allowed to "build infrastructure" on the entities they are occupying in Truong Sa, there will be nothing left to say. At that time, passing through international waters and airspace in Truong Sa without "asking Beijing's permission", perhaps there will only be confrontation!

In the current international context, diplomatic and legal measures are still the most appropriate compared to military measures. Peace has always been the most ardent desire of mankind. It can be said that this is the moment when all behaviors must be extremely cautious, and the common interests for peace, stability, cooperation and development of the region and the world must be put above all.

However, Vietnam must resolutely oppose and fight to the end, without compromise, if anyone acts in a way that does not comply with the principles of international law, regardless of the agreements reached, and violates Vietnam's legitimate rights and interests./.

According to Vietnamplus