Why China opposes US-South Korean military exercises in the Yellow Sea

[sunny]

19:14, July 16, 2010
Major General Luo Yuan, deputy secretary general with the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, explained the reasons why China is opposed to the U.S.-South Korean military exercises in the Yellow Sea in a recent online discussion with netizens on People's Daily Online.

Luo pointed out five reasons behind China's opposition to the joint military exercises:

First, in terms of security, Chairman Mao Zedong once said, "We will never allow others to keep snoring beside our beds." If the United States were in China's shoes, would it allow China to stage military exercises near its western and eastern coasts? Just like an old Chinese saying goes, "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you," if the United States does not wish to be treated in a specific way, it should not forcefully sell the way to others.

Second, in terms of strategic thinking, China should take into account the worst possibility and strive to seek the best results. The bottom line of strategic thinking is to nip the evil in the bud. The ultimate level of strategic thinking is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Preventing crisis is the best way to resolve and overcome the crisis. China's current tough stance is part of preventive diplomacy.

Third, in terms of geopolitical strategy, the Yellow Sea is the gateway to China's capital region and a vital passage to the heartland of Beijing and Tianjin. In history, foreign invaders repeatedly took the Yellow Sea as an entrance to enter the heartland of Beijing and Tianjin. The drill area selected by the United States and South Korea is only 500 kilometers away from Beijing. China will be aware of the security pressure from military exercises conducted by any country in an area that is so close to China's heartland.

The aircraft carrier U.S.S. George Washington dispatched to the Yellow Sea has a combat radius of 600 kilometers and its aircraft has a combat radius as long as 1,000 kilometers. Therefore, the military exercise in the area has posed a direct security threat to China's heartland and the Bohai Rim Economic Circle.

Fourth, in a bid to safeguard security on the Korean Peninsula, the U. N. Security Council has just issued a presidential statement, requiring all parties to remain calm and restrained to the so-called "Cheonan" naval ship incident, which had caused a major crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

On the other hand, the joint military exercise by the United States and South Korea on the Yellow Sea has created a new crisis. This is another reason why China strongly opposes the military exercise on the Yellow Sea. In order to safeguard security on the Korea Peninsula, no country should create a new crisis instead they should control and deal with the existing one.

Fifth, in terms of maintaining China-U.S. relations, especially the two parties' military relations, China must declare its solemn stance. China has been working to promote the healthy development of China-U.S. military relations. Therefore, China has clearly declared that it is willing to promote the development of the two parties' relations. Deputy Director of the General Staff Gen. Ma Xiaotian has also expressed his welcome to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit China at a proper time.

Ma had made it clear at the meeting in Singapore that three key problems greatly impeded China-U.S. exchanges. First, the Unites States' arms sales to Taiwan. Second, the frequently detected American military aircraft and ships over and on the East and South China seas at close range. Third, the 2000 U.S. National Defense Authorization Act and the Delay Amendment restricted military exchanges with China in 12 fields.

The current barriers have not been eliminated, while the United States has created another obstacle. This time, they not only sent military ships, nuclear submarines and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, but also aircraft carriers.

Luo added that a U.S. aircraft carrier had once been in the Yellow Sea in 1994, also known as the "Kitty Hawk issue," which caused strong reactions from China at that time. After that, aircraft carriers have never appeared in the Yellow Sea area.

The United States and South Korea said that the joint military exercise aims at putting pressure on North Korea and deterring North Korea's submarines. However, as the Yellow Sea is a marine outlet, the joint military exercises actually include the task of military surveillance. Any aircraft carrier has strong reconnaissance and early warning capacities therefore it can also monitor and detect on the circumjacent hydrologic geology, meaning that it can detect Chinese marine outlets over and over again.

As the Yellow Sea is a high sea, the aircraft carrier can also detect the hydro-geological conditions of China's submarines' channels out to sea. Therefore, the two purposes of the joint military exercise, strategic reconnaissance and testing initial combat plans, will pose a threat to China. The United States has always talked about the China military as a threat, but this joint military exercise by the United States and South Korea proved that it is not China but the U.S. military that is the threat.

By People's Daily Online

[sunny]

China calls for restraint as U.S., ROK plan military drill
21:01, July 15, 2010

China on Thursday called for calm and restraint to avoid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula in response to a possible naval drill by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks at a regular news briefing, saying China hoped the actions of all parties would contribute to the security, mutual trust, friendship, peace and stability of the region.

Qin reiterated China's opposition to foreign warships or aircraft entering the Yellow Sea area and adjacent waters to engage in activities that would affect its security and interests.

In answer to a question on whether China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) would plan a military exercise if the ROK and the U.S. carried out their drill this month, Qin called the hypothesis "a typical Cold War mindset."

"The hypothesis means dividing the Northeast Asia and Asia-Pacific regions into different military alliances and viewing regional security from an angle of opposition and confrontation, as in the Cold War era," said Qin.

"Times have changed," said Qin. "No single country or military alliance can resolve issues like regional security and stability."

All countries in the region needed to work together, and strengthen mutual trust and cooperation through dialogue, so as to maintain regional security and stability, Qin said.

The anti-submarine drills were originally scheduled for last month in a response to the sinking of the ROK navy vessel, Cheonan, which left 46 crew dead, in March.

The ROK announced in May that the warship was torpedoed by a submarine of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but the DPRK immediately denied involvement, saying the investigation results were fabricated.

Seoul's Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday the joint South Korea-U.S.joint naval drill was expected to be staged this month, starting in waters off the country's east coast.

According to the ministry, the exact date of the drill will be decided next week when defense and foreign ministers of the two countries meet in Seoul at so-called "two-plus-two" security talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will visit Seoul next week to discuss the bilateral alliance.

Source: Xinhua

[hacksecret]

http://inteldaily.com/2010/07/u-s-risks-military-clash-with-china-in-yellow-sea/



U.S. Risks Military Clash With China In Yellow Sea

July 17, 2010

By Rick Rozoff

Delayed until after the United States achieved a United Nations Security Council statement
on July 9 condemning the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, Washington’s plans
for naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea near Chinese territorial waters are forging ahead.

The joint exercises with South Korea, as news sources from the latter nation have recently
disclosed, will be conducted on both sides of the Korean Peninsula, not only in the Yellow Sea
as previously planned but also in the Sea of Japan. (Referred to in the Korean press as the West
and East Seas, respectively.) Confirmation that the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
USS George Washington will participate has further exacerbated concerns in Northeast Asia
and raised alarms over American intentions not only vis-a-vis North Korea but China as well.

An exact date for the war games has not yet been announced, but is expected to be formalized
no later than when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
arrive in the South Korean capital of Seoul on July 21. For weeks now leading Chinese foreign
ministry and military officials have condemned the U.S.-led naval exercises, branding them
a threat to Chinese national sovereignty and to peace and stability in the region.

China’s influential Global Times wrote on July 12 that “The eventuality that Beijing has to
prepare for is close at hand. The delayed US-South Korean naval exercise in the Yellow Sea
is now slated for mid-July. According to media reports, a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier
has left its Japanese base and is headed for the drill area.”

[1] Permanently based in Yokosuka, Japan, the USS George Washington is an almost
100,000-ton supercarrier: “The nuclear carrier, commissioned in 1992, is the sixth Nimitz-class vessel,
carrying some 6,250 crew and about 80 aircraft, including FA-18 fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeye
airborne early warning aircraft.”

[2] The F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, multirole jet fighter (F/A is for Fighter/Attack) and
one of its primary roles is destroying an adversary’s air defenses. The E-2C Hawkeye has been
described as the “eyes and ears” of American carrier strike groups, being equipped with
long-range surveillance radar.

In addition to the nuclear aircraft carrier, “an Aegis-equipped destroyer, an amphibious assault ship,
about four 4,500-ton KDX-II-class destroyers, the 1,800-ton Son Won-il-class submarine and
F-15K fighter jets are expected to join the exercise.”

[3] U.S. Aegis class warships (destroyers and cruisers) are equipped for Standard Missile-3
anti-ballistic interceptor missiles, part of a U.S.-led Asia-Pacific (to date, along with the U.S.,
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia) and ultimately international interceptor missile system.
The F-15K (“Slam Eagle”) is a state-of-the-art multirole (used for both aerial combat and
ground attack) jet fighter supplied to South Korea by the U.S. The presence of a U.S. nuclear
aircraft carrier and scores of advanced American and South Korean warplanes off the coast of
China in the Yellow Sea – and near Russia’s shore in the Sea of Japan if the Washington is
deployed there – qualitatively and precariously raises the level of brinkmanship in Northeast Asia.

The drumbeat of confrontation has been steadily increasing in volume and tempo since
the sinking of a South Korean corvette, the Cheonan, on March 26 with the resultant death of
46 crew members.An investigation into the incident was organized by the U.S. and included experts
from the U.S., South Korea, Britain, Australia and Sweden, but not from China and Russia
which both border the Korean Peninsula. On May 20 the five-nation team released a report blaming
a North Korean torpedo for the sinking of the Cheonan. North Korea denied the accusation and
neither Russia nor China, excluded from the investigation, have concurred with the U.S. accusation.

American provocations escalated dramatically at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Toronto on June 27
when U.S. President Barack Obama (in his own words) held a “blunt” conversation with China’s
President Hu Jintao, accusing him and his nation of “willful blindness” in relation to North Korea’s
“belligerent behavior.” Upbraiding his Chinese counterpart, Obama stated, “I think there’s a difference
between restraint and willful blindness to consistent problems.” (On the same occasion Obama praised
South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak for his “extraordinary restraint.”)

“My hope is that president Hu will recognise as well that this is an example of Pyongyang
going over the line.” President Hu and the Chinese government as a whole would be fully
justified in suspecting that mounting U.S. threats are aimed not only (and perhaps not so much)
against North Korea as against China itself. Beijing is not alone in entertaining suspicions that
Washington is employing the sinking of the Cheonan as the pretext for achieving broader
geopolitical objectives. On July 14 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in speaking of
the Cheonan incident and its aftermath, pleaded: “I believe that the most important [concern]
at the present time is to ease the situation, avoid agitation, escalation of emotions and start
preparing conditions for the resumption of the six-party [North Korea, South Korea, China,
Russia, the U.S. and Japan] talks.”

[4] Portraying the UN Security Council statement on the matter last week (which was not the harsh
condemnation of North Korea Washington had pushed for) as being a balanced one, he also said,
“It is important that nobody tries to distort the evaluations given.”

In addition, referring to North Korea’s latest reaffirmation of its willingness to jointly investigate
the Cheonan’s sinking with South Korea, Lavrov said: “This statement is not new. From the very
beginning the DPRK confirmed it wanted to participate in the investigation. “I hear, the sides were
to agree on some format of interaction.”

[5] When on June 27 President Obama stated “our main focus right now is in the U.N. Security
Council making sure that there is a crystal-clear acknowledgement that North Korea engaged in
belligerent behavior that is unacceptable to the international community”

[6], his characterization of the latter entity excluded not only North Korea but China and Russia
as well. The severity and urgency of mounting U.S. threats is illustrated in a recent column by
Shen Dingli, executive dean of the Institute of International Studies and director of the Center
for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. His comments end with a frightening
parallel and a dire warning: “The US and South Korea are implementing joint military exercises
this month in the Yellow Sea, with the possibility of deploying the US aircraft carrier
George Washington. “The running of such exercises so close to China’s waters has left
China strongly, and rightfully, dissatisfied. “The US and South Korea may argue that
the exercise is not in China’s territorial waters, so China has no right to comment.

“However, even if the joint exercises are not in Chinese sovereign waters, they may take place
in the waters of China’s interests as the international waters [in the] Yellow Sea near China’s
exclusive economic zone are extremely important to China’s interests. “Given the sophisticated
equipment it carries, the George Washington poses a real potential threat to Chinese territory.

“Even if the US-South Korea military exercises are outside China’s territory, the striking power
of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier also poses a serious threat to neighboring countries.

“The US and South Korea have said the military exercises are being held in order to deter
North Korea because of the sinking of the South Korean Cheonan corvette and the death of
46 South Korean sailors.

“But the case for the possible North Korean sinking of the Cheonan has not been thoroughly
established. “South Korea refused to let North Korean officials present their case against
the evidence for their supposed complicity in the sinking. “When South Korea launched
the so-called international survey, it refused the participation of China and other countries,
which did not increase the credibility of the so-called findings.

“These exercises are needlessly provocative, and will eventually backfire on the US and
South Korea. “During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when the Soviet Union established
nuclear missile bases on the island, the US objected to the close proximity of the Soviet
weaponry even though they traveled only through international waters to reach Cuba,
and the US set up a blockade to stop them being deployed. “When the US ponders the idea of
deploying its nuclear aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea, very close to China, shouldn’t China have
the same feeling as the US did when the Soviet Union deployed missiles in Cuba?

“China may not have the military strength to forcibly prevent such exercises now,
but it may do so in response to such provocative actions in the future.”

[7] The only surviving head of state of the nations involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis,
former Cuban president Fidel Castro, has issued several warnings lately that a U.S. and allied
attack on North Korea (and Iran) could result in regional conflagration and even nuclear war.

A Chinese commentary last week provided more details of the threat that a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier
off its shore will pose to the nation and also contained a blunt warning, stating “the anxiety on
the Chinese side will be huge if a US aircraft carrier enters the sea connecting the Korean Peninsula
and China – it would mean that major cities like Dalian, Qingdao, Tianjin and even Beijing are
within US attack range.

“At this stage, China may not react through a show of force to the US fleet cruising into
the international waters of the Yellow Sea. But it does not mean that the Chinese people
will tolerate it. Whatever harm the US military maneuver may inflict upon the mind of
the Chinese, the United States will have to pay for it, sooner or later.”

[8] Washington’s recent deployment of two nuclear-powered guided missile submarines to
China’s neighborhood – the USS Michigan to South Korea and the USS Ohio to the Philippines

[9] – only add to China’s concerns. As do the ongoing U.S.-led Angkor Sentinel exercises in
Cambodia with over 1,000 troops from 26 nations, including American and NATO and Asian NATO
partners like Britain, France, Germany and Italy (along with the U.S., the NATO Quint) and Australia,
India, Indonesia, Japan and Mongolia. The last country, wedged between China and Russia,
is being integrated into the American global military network, even supplying troops to serve
under NATO in Afghanistan.

[10] “This is the first time in the history of the Cambodian military that we are hosting [exercises]
with the participation of many countries…which encompasses such a multi-national military basis,”
a Cambodian general said of the training.

[11] “Addressing the ceremony, US Ambassador Carol Rodley said Washington remained
committed to enhancing its military relationship with Cambodia. She added that Angkor Sentinel
provided a ‘unique opportunity’ to deepen the two countries’ friendship.”

[12] Cambodia is only once removed from China, the two nations connected by both Laos
and Vietnam.

An Agence France-Presse dispatch reported “The United States and Laos pledged to step up
cooperation after their highest-level talks since the Vietnam War, the latest country in
a renewed US effort to engage Southeast Asia,” after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
met with Laotian Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Washington, D.C. on July 13.

http://www.dailynews.co.th/newstartpage/index.cfm?page=content&categoryID=5&contentID=78196
มะกัน-ลาวรือฟื้นความสัมพันธ์
วันพฤหัสบดี ที่ 15 กรกฎาคม 2553 เวลา 8:28 น

สหรัฐและลาวให้คำมั่นจะกระชับความร่วมมือ ภายหลังการเจรจาระดับสูงสุดของสองประเทศ
นับตั้งแต่สิ้นสุดสงครามเวียดนามเมื่อปี 2518 นับเป็นความพยายามล่าสุดของสหรัฐที่จะ
เกี่ยวพันกับประเทศในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้มากขึ้น

นางฮิลลารี คลินตัน รมว.ต่างประเทศสหรัฐ พบปะนายทอง ลุน สีสลิด รมว.ต่างประเทศลาว
เมื่อวันอังคารตามเวลาท้องถิ่น ซึ่งนายทองลุน ถือเป็นเจ้าหน้าที่ระดับสูงของลาวคนแรก
ที่เดินทางเยือนกรุงวอชิงตัน ตั้งแต่ฝ่ายคอมมิวนิสต์มีชัยชนะในลาวเมื่อ ปี 2518

โดยทั้งสองฝ่ายให้คำมั่นจะเพิ่มการแลกเปลี่ยน ด้วยการร่วมมือเพื่อประโยชน์ของสองประเทศ
และความสัมพันธ์อย่างสร้างสรรค์เพื่อสันติภาพ นอกจากนี้ ยังมีการลงนามในข้อตกลงเปิดฟ้า
เพื่อให้สายการบินของสองประเทศสามารถเดินทางไปมาหาสู่กัน และยังเป็นการส่งเสริม
การท่องเที่ยวให้แก่ลาว ซึ่งเป็นประเทศที่ไม่มีทางออกทางทะเล ขณะที่นายฟิลิป ครอว์ลีย์
โฆษกกระทรวงต่างประเทศสหรัฐ เปิดเผยว่า นางคลินตันและนายทองลุน หารือกันถึง
เรื่องความร่วมมือระดับทวิภาคี

ทั้งนี้ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างสหรัฐกับลาว ตึงเครียดมานาน เนื่องจากรัฐบาลลาวปฏิบัติการกวาดล้าง
กลุ่มชาวม้งที่เคยช่วยเหลือกองทัพ สหรัฐในสงครามเวียดนาม แต่ความสัมพันธ์ของสองชาติ
เริ่มดีขึ้นเมื่อสหรัฐสถาปนาความสัมพันธ์ทางการ ค้าขั้นปกติกับ ลาวเมื่อปี 2547 นอกจากนี้
ประธานาธิบดีบารัค โอบามา ต้องการผูกมิตรกับประเทศเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้มากขึ้น
หลังจากถูกมองข้ามไป ในสมัยของอดีตประธานาธิบดีจอร์จ ดับเบิลยู บุช.
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Sisoulith, also his country’s deputy prime minister, is the first major Laotian official to visit
the U.S. since before 1975. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters
“The United States is committed to building our relationship with Laos as part of our broader
efforts to expand engagement with Southeast Asia,” and Agence France-Presse added
“President Barack Obama’s administration has put a new focus on Southeast Asia,
saying the region was overlooked as George W. Bush’s former administration became
preoccupied with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

[13] Next week Clinton will visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam and South Korea.
The first three countries border China and South Korea faces it across the Yellow Sea.
The Pentagon and NATO have ensconced themselves in Afghanistan, Pakistan and
the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan,
all five of which border western China.

[14] Clinton will visit Vietnam to attend meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and the Lower Mekong Initiative (consisting of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam).

The State Department’s Vietnam hand, Joe Yun, said that it will be part of “Secretary Clinton’s
fourth trip to East Asia in the past year. “Her engagement in this region demonstrates the vital
importance of the Asia-Pacific region, and especially Southeast Asia, to the future of
the United States.”

Fellow Southeast Asian nation Malaysia has just announced the deployment of its first military
contingent to assist NATO’s war in Afghanistan, “as ties with the United States deepen.”

“In an April meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and US President Barack Obama,
the two leaders agreed to cooperate on key security issues to create a stronger relationship.”

[15] Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently toured the Mountain Home Air Base
in the American state of Idaho where 400 of his country’s pilots and other service members and
their families are now stationed. “The Singapore military personnel will be at the US base for
the next 20 years or so.” [16] Singapore troops have been assigned to NATO in Afghanistan
and are facing a long stay there also. Malaysia and Singapore are currently participating for
the first time in the mammoth U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) war games in the Pacific
which will continue into August. To indicate to what purpose the U.S. is “expanding engagement”
with Vietnam in particular and Southeast Asia in general, the aforementioned Yun revealed that
“we also look to Vietnam as ASEAN’s Chair to exercise leadership, including in sensitive areas
such as North Korea’s attack on the South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan.
We would like to see Vietnam exercise its influence to press for a genuine dialogue
so that the people of Burma can work with the existing government to move forward,
and to press Burma on the need to fully implement UN Security Council Resolutions 1718
and 1874. Burma ought to be transparent with the international community in its
dealings with North Korea.”

[17] North Korea and Burma (Myanmar) are, like Vietnam, southern neighbors of China’s and
along with the seclusive kingdom of Bhutan are the only nations near China with which
the U.S. is not cultivating closer military ties.

Also to China’s south, its giant neighbor India has been pulled deeper into
the Pentagon’s orbit since the New Framework For The U.S.-India Defense
Relationship was signed in June of 2005, including hosting U.S. warships,
warplanes and troops for annual Malabar war games off its coasts.

Last December U.S. Pacific Command chief Admiral Robert Willard stated that the Pentagon
and India “are in talks to convert their bilateral Malabar series of naval exercises into a joint
services war game involving their navies, air forces and marine commandos.”

[18) This year's Malabar 2010 included a U.S. guided missile cruiser and frigate and two destroyers
as well as a fast attack submarine.

Last October over 1,000 U.S. and Indian troops participated in the Yudh Abhyas 2009 military
exercises in India, which was the first time the Pentagon deployed a Stryker armored combat
brigade outside the Iraqi and Afghan war theaters. "The size and scope of this combined
exercise is unparalleled"

[19], stated an American commander present for the war games. President Obama is scheduled
to visit India in November and his trip there will “result in some 5 billion dollars worth of
American arms sales to India….Observers point out that the role of India’s biggest arms supplier
is shifting from Russia to the United States.”

[20] The arms transactions are reported to include Patriot interceptor missiles, thus complementing
comparable missile shield arrangements the U.S. has with Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia
in the Asia-Pacific area.

The projected deal also includes Washington supplying Delhi with 10 Boeing C-17 military
transport planes: “Once India gets the C-17 transport aircraft, the mobility of its forces stationed
along the border with China will be improved….[The] arms sales will improve ties between
Washington and New Delhi, and, intentionally or not, will have the effect of containing
China’s influence in the region.”

[21] The U.S. has also lately led joint military exercises in Bangladesh and East Timor,
and the annual U.S.-organized Khaan Quest military exercises in Mongolia are to start next month.

A recent article in the China Times by an unidentified researcher with the Chinese navy’s military
academy observed that “the US has seemingly become less restrained in its move to push forward
an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with its allies in the region.

“In so doing, Washington has harbored the obvious strategic intention of containing China –
whose economic and strategic influence has kept increasing in the international arena….”

[22] It is against that backdrop, in the context of Washington putting the finishing touches to
the consolidation of an Asian analogue of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, that China is
being challenged in the Yellow Sea.

The last-cited source detailed the Pentagon’s encroachment near China’s borders: “The radius of
the US military operation has expanded to more than 1,000 kilometers, which means a US military
mission in the waters off the ROK [South Korea] can still constitute a huge deterrence to China
and other countries along the nearby coastline and strike at strategic targets deep inside
their territories.

“With unchallenged armed forces, the US has never relented in its efforts towards long-planned
strategic adjustment in the Asia-Pacific region. Under this strategy, the US has gradually increased
the presence and activity of its warships and airplanes in China’s surrounding maritime area.”

[23] Regarding the naval exercise with the U.S., South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman
Won Tae-jae recently affirmed that “We can say that it will take place sometime this month.
This month, there are a variety of schedules concerning bilateral security and diplomatic issues,
and the decision on the exercise will be made in consideration of those schedules.”

[24] China, which conducted a live-fire naval exercise in the East China Sea from June 30-July 5
“in an apparent show of…force ahead of the [U.S.-South Korean] exercise…appears unnerved
as the 97,000-ton [USS George Washington] carrier has an operational range of some 1,000 kilometers
and can glean intelligence on military facilities and installments along China’s eastern coastal regions
once it is deployed in the West [Yellow] Sea.”

[25] The U.S. armed forces newspaper Stars and Stripes disclosed on July 14 that “In what the Pentagon
says is a direct response to North Korea’s sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan,
the U.S. and South Korea likely will agree to a series of new naval and air exercises next week,
when Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton make a joint visit to Seoul.”

[26] Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell was cited asserting that “The announcement is the result of
direct instruction from President Barack Obama to find new ways to collaborate with…
Korean counterparts following the attack….He would not offer specifics other than they would occur
in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea.”

In his own words, Morrell said “We are not yet ready to announce the precise details of those exercises
but they will involve a wide range of assets and are expected to be initiated in the near future.”

[27] Gates and Clinton are to meet for the first bilateral talks with their South Korean counterparts
Minister of National Defense Kim Tae-young and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on July 21 and,
according to the Pentagon spokesman, will “discuss and likely approve a proposed series of
US/ROK combined military exercises.”

[28] Regarding concerns voiced by China about the U.S. advancing its military so near its coast,
Morrell said that “Those determinations are made by us, and us alone….Where we exercise,
when we exercise, with whom and how, using what assets and so forth, are determinations that
are made by the United States Navy, by the Department of Defense, by the United States government.”

[29] There is no way that such confrontational, arrogant and vulgar language was not understood
at its proper value in Beijing. Nor is the prospect, as noted by Lee Su-seok, analyst at South Korea’s
Institute for National Security Strategy, of “the involvement of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea
as having a possible link to plans by the U.S. to defend Taiwan”

[30] likely to go unnoticed. What the response to the U.S.’s increasingly more brash and adventurist
policy might be was indicated in a recent Chinese editorial, which stated in part: “In their recent
responses, several high-ranking Chinese navy officials have made it plain that China will not stay in
‘hands-off’ mode as the drill gets underway. For that will make the US believe that China’s defense
circle on the sea is small, and, therefore, US fleets will be able to freely cruise over the Yellow Sea,
East China Sea and South China Sea in the future.

“Military experts have warned that if the joint drill really takes place off the western coast of
South Korea, Chinese airplanes and warships will very likely go all the way out to closely watch
the war game maneuvers. Within such proximity on not-so-clearly-marked international waters,
any move that is considered hostile to the other side can willy-nilly trigger a rash reaction,
which might escalate into the unexpected or the unforeseen.

“One false move, one wrong interpretation, is all it would take for the best-planned exercises
to go awry….The impact of a crisis on that scale would be tremendous, making any dispute
over trade or the yuan’s value between the two in recent years pale in comparison….
Tension is mounting over the US-South Korean joint exercise. Beijing and Washington
still have time, and leeway, to desist from moving toward a possible conflict on the Yellow Sea.”

[31] A similar warning was sounded in another major Chinese daily: “If the US and ROK continue
to act willfully by holding the controversial military drill, it would pose a challenge to China’s safety
and would inevitably provoke a huge backlash from Chinese citizens.

“Today’s China is no longer the China of a century ago that had no choice but to bend to
imperialist aggression. After decades of development, especially since the adoption of the reform
and opening-up policies, China has become the world’s third largest economy and possesses
a modern military capable of any self-defense missions.”

[32] When Robert Gates and Hillary Clinton arrive in Seoul on July 21 it will formally be to mark
the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, which within three months drew China
into the fighting. When the two American secretaries meet with South Korea’s defense and
foreign ministers and, as State Department spokesman Philip Crowley recently claimed,
“likely approve a proposed series of U.S. and Korea combined military exercises, including new naval
and air exercises in both the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea”

[33], the world should prepare for the threat of a second Korean war, a second U.S.-China armed conflict.

1) Global Times, July 12, 2010
2) Korea Herald, July 13, 2010
3) Ibid
4) Russian Information Agency Novosti, July 14, 2010
5) Itar-Tass, July 14, 2010
6) White House, June 27, 2010
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-g-20-press-conference-toronto-canada
7) Global Times, July 14, 2010
Global Times, July 6, 2010
9) Pentagon Provokes New Crisis With China
Stop NATO, July 10, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/2061
10) Mongolia: Pentagon Trojan Horse Wedged Between China And Russia
Stop NATO, March 31, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/mongolia-pentagon-trojan-horse-wedged-between-china-and-russia
11) Xinhua News Agency, July 12, 2010
12) Phnom Penh Post, July 13, 2010
13) Agence France-Presse, July 14, 2010
14) Afghan War: Petraeus Expands U.S. Military Presence Throughout Eurasia
Stop NATO, July 4, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/afghan-war-petraeus-expands-u-s-military-presence-throughout-eurasia
15) Radio Netherlands, July 15, 2010
16) Channel News Asia, July 12, 2010
17) VietNamNet, July 15, 2010
18) Press Trust of India, December 4, 2009
19) Embassy of the United States in India, October 19, 2009
20) Voice of Russia, July 11, 2010
21) Economic Times via Global Times, July 13, 2010
22) China Daily, July 12, 2010
23) Ibid
24) Korea Herald, July 13, 2010
25) Ibid
26) Stars and Stripes, July 14, 2010
27) Ibid
28) Agence France-Presse, July 14, 2010
29) Ibid
30) JoongAng Daily, July 12, 2010
31) Global Times, July 12, 2010
32) China Daily, July 12, 2010
33) Yonhap News Agency, July 15, 2010

[sunny]

US deploys aircraft carrier to South Korean waters in aftermath of attack on SKorean warship

By: Anne Flaherty, The Associated Press
19/07/2010 12:46 PM

WASHINGTON - The United States is sending the massive aircraft carrier USS George Washington to South Korea this week, the military announced Monday.

The deployment is considered a show of force in the aftermath of the sinking of a South Korean warship last March that killed 46 sailors. South Korea and an international team of investigators has blamed the attack on North Korea.

The carrier was expected to be in South Korea's port of Busan by Wednesday and could participate in an coming military exercise.

The nuclear-powered carrier, one of the world's largest warships, will be accompanied by the destroyers McCampbell, John S. McCain and Lassen.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton were expected to announce this week more details about the coming joint military exercise. Gates and Clinton were visiting Seoul to meet with their South Korean counterparts.

The military exercise and deployment of the George Washington has been under discussion since shortly after the March attack on the South Korean navy vessel, Cheonan.

The Cheonan's sinking was considered South Korea's worst military disaster since the Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire in 1953. No formal peace treaty was ever signed, and more than 28,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in the south with a vow to protect the critical U.S. ally.

Deployment of the aircraft carrier could be seen by North Korea as a particularly aggressive move by the United States because of the ship's sheer size. According to a Navy website, the George Washington is 244 feet high from keel to mast and can accommodate some 6,250 personnel.

[sunny]

Deadly sinking of SKorean warship high on agenda as US defence secretary arrives in Seoul

By: Hyung-Jin Kim
19/07/2010 8:18 AM

SEOUL, South Korea - U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived Monday in South Korea on a trip to underscore Washington's firm alliance with Seoul as the two nations plan military exercises in a message of deterrence to North Korea.

Gates' visit comes amid continuing tension on the Korean peninsula over the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan that killed 46 sailors. South Korea has blamed the sinking on North Korea.

An international investigation concluded in May that a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank the warship near the tense Korean sea border. The North flatly denies the accusations and has warned any punishment would trigger war.

Gates flew to a military airport near Seoul and is set to meet Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young. On Wednesday, the two sides will hold high-profile security talks which will be joined by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The talks were initially arranged to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War and discuss long-term strategies in the bilateral alliance. The U.S. still stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the war against communist North Korea that ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The U.S. and South Korea are expected to approve a proposed series of joint military exercise including new naval training off Korea's west and east coasts, officials said.

"We are not yet ready to announce the precise details of those exercises, but they will involve a wide range of assets and are expected to be initiated in the near future," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said last week. "All of these exercises are defensive in nature, but will send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea and demonstrate our steadfast commitment to the defence of South Korea."

[sunny]

PLA holds Yellow Sea drill
08:25, July 20, 2010

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) held a military supply drill in the Yellow Sea over the weekend, amid reported tension over a scheduled joint exercise between the United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) navies.

The PLA's General Logistics Department and the Office of Transport and Combat Readiness co-organized the latest drill, which started on Saturday "deep in the Yellow Sea", Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Codenamed "Warfare 2010", the exercise involved troops from the Jinan Military Region and staff of the Ministry of Transport, Xinhua reported.

The drill was aimed at improving defense capabilities against long-distance attacks. Four helicopters and four rescue vessels were deployed for the exercise on Saturday.

Tanks were also loaded onto vessels at a port in Yantai, Shandong province, on Sunday. Similarly, rail transported tanks to ships and other military equipment was transferred to vessels, Xinhua reported.

The exercise focused on transporting military supplies for future joint battles, Xinhua quoted drill commander Zuo Xiaohu as saying.

The drill came at a sensitive time with Washington and Seoul scheduled to hold a joint military exercise in the Yellow Sea. The joint exercise was postponed several times since June following strong objection from Beijing, which said such military action will only serve to further destabilize the situation in the region.

But the PLA's Yellow Sea drill was only a regular mission and had little to do with the US-ROK exercise, some Chinese military analysts said on Monday.

"The scale of the weekend exercise was quite small as it was co-organized by the Logistics Department, which is in charge of equipment transportation. The nature of the drill is very different from that of the US-ROK joint military action," Beijing-based military analyst Peng Guangqian told China Daily.

The highlight of the PLA drill was the movement via rail and the sending of tanks into ships, which can "notably lift the efficiency of military transportation", said Li Daguang, a military specialist with the University of National Defense.

Li also dismissed speculations linking the exercise to the upcoming joint military drill between Washington and Seoul in the Yellow and East China seas.

"The section of the exercise in the Yellow Sea is a search-and-rescue one targeted at various threats including maritime disasters. It's an ordinary exercise from which I can't detect any signal of discontent over the US-ROK exercise," Li said.

"But such exercises are also meaningful in practical terms, given the current background," said Li Jie, a researcher with the Chinese navy's military academy.

It was not an "entire coincidence" that the PLA's exercise had taken place days before Washington and Seoul was expected to carry out their drill, Li Jie said.

Following continuous pressure from China, Washington announced that it will hold a portion of a planned joint naval operations with the ROK in the East China Sea, and not carry out the drill entirely in the Yellow Sea between the ROK and China as originally expected.

The US also planned to deploy the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the East China Sea to avoid upsetting China, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The ROK's Dong-a Ilbo newspaper carried information from the country's defense ministry confirming that anti-submarine exercises will be conducted in both maritime areas.

The White House said the high-level meetings on July 21 in Seoul between US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their ROK counterparts will "discuss and likely approve a proposed series of combined military exercises, including new naval and air exercises in both the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea", which "will send a clear message of deterrence" to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Last week, China said it firmly opposes any foreign warships or planes entering the Yellow Sea as well as adjacent waters that were engaged in activities that would impact on its security and interests.

Source: China Daily

[sunny]

Would the tension on the Korean Peninsula cause the 2nd Korean War?

South Korea's Hyunmu-3 missiles

The military and the Agency for Defense Development have developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,500 km and deployed it warfare-ready.

The August issue of the monthly Chosun magazine published last Saturday quoted a military officer as saying the ADD began research and development for the Hyunmu-3C, a surface-to-surface cruise missile, in 2008, and has started mass-producing it. Hundreds of them will be deployed warfare-ready at an Army unit on the central frontline this year.

So far only the Hyunmu-3A, with a range of 500 km, and the Hyunmu-3B, with 1,000 km, were deployed.

The Hyunmu-3C brings North Korean nuclear and other major facilities like Scud and Rodong missile bases in South Pyongan, Kangwon, and South Hamgyong Provinces within range of the South Korean Army. The Hyunmu-3 series are being mass-produced by LIG Nex1. The Hyunmu-3C is 6 m long and 53-60 cm in diameter and weighs 1.5 tons. It is equipped with an aircraft jet engine.

It can fly at a speed of slightly less than Mach 1, or 1,260 km/h and carries a 450 kg warhead. Its accuracy is within 1-2 m. The missile is said to be equal in terms of functions to the U.S.-developed Tomahawk cruise missile.

"Deployment of the Hyunmu-3 missiles will enable precision strikes against North Korea's missile bases and bunkers in the early stages of any war," the officer added. "Until recently the range of South Korean missiles fell far short of major targets in the North, but with the new missiles we've overcome the disadvantage."

The Missile Technology Control Regime was revised in 2001 after the North's test-firing of long-range missiles so that South Korea is now allowed to build cruise missiles of any range with warheads weighing up to 500 kg but is still banned from developing ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 km. ( From english.chosun)

According to gross calculation from South Korea's official statistics, the Hyunmu-3C missile would also be able to reach parts of China, Japan and Russia.

South Korea and the United States, citing the findings of a multinational investigation, accuse North Korea of torpedoing a South Korean warship near the tense sea border in March. Meanwhile, China calls for calm and restraint to avoid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula in response to a possible naval drill by the United States and South Korea.

http://www.peopleforum.cn/viewthread.php?tid=28277&extra=page%3D1

[sunny]

U.S. and South Korea to start military drills on July 25

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Tae-young (2nd R) and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates walk into the headquarters of the South Korean Defence Ministry before
their meeting in Seoul July 20, 2010. Gates said on Wednesday
planned military drills with ally South Korea would send a strong message of deterrence
to the North, as Seoul signalled more U.S. sanctions ahead.

(Reuters) - The United States and South Korea announced on Tuesday they will start large-scale joint military drills on July 25 that aim to deter North Korea from any future attack after the sinking of a South Korean warship.

"These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed to together enhancing our combined defensive capabilities," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a joint statement with his South Korean counterpart.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

[sunny]

USS George Washington arrives in Busan for US-ROK drill

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington moves to come alongside the pier at a port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 21, 2010. The aircraft carrier will participate in a massive combined air and naval exercise to be held by South Korea and the US in the East Sea from July 25 to 28.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington moves to come alongside the pier at a port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 21, 2010.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington moves to come alongside the pier at a port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 21, 2010.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington moves to come alongside the pier at a port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 21, 2010.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington moves to come alongside the pier at a port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 21, 2010.

[sunny]

US, South Korea Announce 'Show of Force'

The United States and South Korea formally announced Tuesday they will conduct naval exercises in the Yellow Sea, between China and the Korean Peninsula, in spite of Chinese government objections. The announcement was made following a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Tae-young.

According to a joint statement, the first of a series of exercises will begin Sunday in the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. It will involve the U.S. aircraft carrier George Washington, about 20 American and South Korean warships and numerous aircraft. Officials call this a "large scale" exercise, but say final decisions have not yet been made about additional naval and air maneuvers planned for the Yellow Sea, between the Korean Peninsula and China.

The Chinese government has strongly objected to that plan, saying such a move will raise tensions and threaten its vital interests.

A South Korean rear admiral, Kim Kyung Sik, describes the exercises as a "formidable show of force" and "a clear warning to North Korea."

The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Admiral Robert Willard, told reporters in Seoul the exercises are designed to signal "intolerance" for the sinking of the South Korean Navy vessel Cheonan in March, killing 46 sailors. An international investigation blamed North Korea, but it denies involvement. Willard says the United States and South Korea have chosen not to respond with military moves several times when North Korea has carried out various attacks over the years and provocative tests of its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities.

"This is a show of force intended to send a signal to North Korea with regard to what has occurred. And, it is intended also to signal the region the resolve of this alliance and our commitment to one another and the scope and scale of our ability to operate together," said Willard.

The exercises will include practice defending against submarine attacks, such as the one that allegedly sank the South Korean ship.

The top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, says such exercises are important, particularly in the sensitive and difficult to navigate international waters between the Chinese and Korean coasts, where the Cheonan attack happened.

"The anti-submarine area, finding submarines, is a difficult military undertaking in any warfare community, in any service. And then, operating specifically in the West Sea, in that water, is much more demanding than in the East Sea. So that's why it's important that these exercises be done jointly and constantly," said Mullen. "You have to stay current. You have to do it all the time."

U.S. officials acknowledge these exercises may not convince North Korea to change its policies, and they express some frustration at the difficulty of influencing the country's leaders on many issues. They call these exercises a "first step" designed to show North Korea its "behavior has to change." And they say, although these exercises were planned to respond to the ship sinking, there is nothing unusual about American forces operating in the area.

Former Bush administration official Stephen Yates says China should consider joint exercises a relatively light response to a ship sinking, which many consider an act of war.

"If a Chinese vessel had been attacked and sunk, what would their people be demanding by way of a show of force? I think that South Koreans wanting to have this kind of a joint exercise is quite mild actually," said Yates.

Northeast Asia researcher Denny Roy, of the East-West Center in Hawaii, is not surprised at China's objections to the exercises.

"China is, of course, not going to be happy about military exercises conducted by a potential adversary, to put it bluntly, near the Chinese coast," said Roy.

But Roy says China made a mistake by objecting so strongly to the American and South Korean plan.

"I think it was, frankly, rather ill-advised of the Chinese to put themselves in the position of specifically warning the United States not to carry out this exercise, particularly given that the Chinese are partly responsible for the sense of heightened security risk in the region because of North Korea's actions," he said. "The Chinese come out losers in this particular episode, having specifically warned against the United States doing this and putting their prestige and credibility on the line, but then having been rebuffed by the Unite States' going ahead with the plan."

The U.S. Pacific commander, Admiral Willard, says China was not consulted about the military exercise plan and he is not worried that China might extend the suspension of military relations with the United States, as a result. Rather, he says his concern is that China should use its influence to convince North Korea not to conduct such attacks in the future.

[sunny]

US Won't Bow to Chinese Concerns on Yellow Sea Exercises

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen gestures
during a briefing at the Pentagon (File Photo)

The top American military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, says the United States will continue to conduct military exercises in the international waters of the Yellow Sea, in spite of strong objections from the Chinese government. The Pentagon confirmed last week that there will soon be joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises in both the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, to the east, in response to North Korea's sinking of a South Korean Navy ship earlier this year. Admiral Mullen arrived Tuesday to join the first ever joint meeting of the American and South Korean foreign and defense ministers.

China's foreign ministry spokesman has said U.S.-South Korean naval exercises in the Yellow Sea would raise tensions in the area and threaten Chinese vital interests, including its sovereignty, territorial integrity and economic development. Admiral Mullen told reporters on his aircraft that is not the goal of the maneuvers.

"Nobody, the United States and certainly those who live in the region, want to see any kind of conflict break out," he said.

The admiral echoed other U.S. officials who have said the exercises are a response to what he calls "completely unacceptable" North Korean behavior that is outside "international norms." He says the exercises are designed to improve capabilities and deter further North Korean aggression. And, the admiral says they will not be canceled because of China's concerns.

"The Yellow Sea, specifically, is an international body of water. And the United States always reserves the right to operate in those, in international waters. And certainly, I hear what the Chinese are saying with respect to that," he said. "But in fact we have exercised in the Yellow Sea for a long time and I fully expect that we'll do so in the future."

The Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea, was the site of the sinking of the South Korean Naval vessel the Cheonan in March, and the deaths of the 46 sailors who were on board. An international investigation concluded that the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, but North Korea has denied the charge.

At the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii, Northeast Asia analyst Denny Roy says the U.S.-South Korean decision to hold naval exercises in the area runs directly counter to China's world view. He says China's strong words about the planned exercises reflect increasing assertiveness about an issue its leaders see as extremely important to their country's future, ending U.S. military dominance in the Western Pacific and turning the area into a Chinese sphere of influence.

"I think ultimately the Chinese view of the Asia-Pacific region in which China is a great power doesn't have much room for the degree of American influence in that region that we see today," said Roy. "We may see ourselves on a collision course between Chinese perceived core interests and American perceived core interests. If the United States and China have a different interpretation as to what's to be permissible in a place where our spheres of influence in effect overlap, this not only is an issue that's not going to go away soon, but we may be seeing an intensification of it over the next few years."

Indeed, former Bush Administration official Stephen Yates says China cannot expect to impose its views on U.S. military activity in the Western Pacific, particularly considering that it is the only major supporter of the country creating the tension in the region - North Korea.

"China needs to see that there are strategic consequences for its support for North Korea. It doesn't really get a free pass in enabling North Korea economically and diplomatically and watering down sanctions and other kinds of efforts to punish North Korea for violating international agreements and upsetting the security environment in East Asia," said Roy. "And, it doesn't also get to dictate to our allies what they can or cannot do, in terms of supporting their sovereign territory and their rights."

Professor Clark Sorensen, chair of the Center for Korea Studies at the University of Washington, agrees, but he says the United States also has to be careful how it asserts its rights in the region.

"It's a big dilemma for the United States because, on the one hand, we want to avoid turning China into some kind of an enemy, but on the other hand, China has been facilitating North Korean behavior in ways that make it very difficult for the U.S. on the Korean Peninsula," said Sorensen.

Still, at the East-West Center, Roy says the United States and China have an interest in resolving their differences over regional security.

"Both sides do also have an equally strong interest in maintaining a constructive bilateral relationship," said Roy. "So one hopes that the overall consideration of the need for a constructive relationship acts as a moderating force on some of the arguments pushing toward more assertive activities in the bilateral relationship."

Admiral Mullen says that is why the United States wants to resume normal military relations with China, which the Chinese froze last year after the latest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

"I think that's very important ,in terms of our ability to understand each other, deal with the tough issues, agree in certain areas and agree to disagree in others, but at least having those conversations is really vital," he said.

China has given no indication it is ready to resume routine military relations and analysts say, if the U.S.-South Korean naval exercises proceed as expected, the prospect will likely be set back even further.

VOA

[sunny]

Top US Officer Calls China 'Aggressive' in Yellow Sea
Al Pessin | New Delhi

The top U.S. military officer says China is taking a "much more aggressive approach" in its policy toward international waters near its coastline, raising his level of concern about China's intentions as it continues to build its armed services and to refuse to engage in dialogue with the U.S. military.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen has said he has gone from being "curious" to being "concerned" about China's military buildup and its intentions, and on Friday during a trip to New Delhi, he explained part of the reason for that.

"They seem to be taking a much more aggressive approach with respect to the "near sea" area. Recent public statements about the United States Navy not operating in the Yellow Sea, which is an international body of water, that's just not something that we're going to adhere to," Admiral Mullen said. I mean, we're going to continue to operate in international waters, as we have historically."

He was referring to Chinese objections to the plan for U.S.-South Korean naval exercises in the Yellow Sea, between China and the Korean Peninsula, and to incidents in which Chinese patrol craft have harassed U.S. Navy ships.

China believes it has the right to control access to its 300-kilometer-wide exclusive economic zone. The United States considers anything beyond about 20 kilometers to be international waters.

The admiral said China is also being "more assertive" about territory it claims. That would include island chains in the South China Sea. In addition, China imposed a freeze on relations with the U.S. military following the latest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, which it would like to reclaim after more than 60 years of separate government supported by the United States.

"We have virtually no relationship between the Chinese military and the United States military." said Mullen. "And I think having that kind of relationship and dialogue - what we can agree on, what we can disagree on, but at least learning more about each other - is absolutely critical."

Admiral Mullen says the freeze contributes to what he called the "opaqueness" of China's military development and intentions, which he said makes him worry. The admiral, who was previously head of the U.S. Navy, said as China's naval capabilities increase, all countries will have to adjust their global military posture.

"That's going to require us to adjust as well. But I don't see that in terms of changing with respect to where we'll operate or the areas that we think will continue to be important, and certainly the Pacific and the Indian Ocean are two of those,"

China has been investing heavily in its military, particularly modern naval and air capabilities, with double digit growth in defense spending for more than a decade. According to official statements, it aims to become the predominant power in the western Pacific, a position the United States now holds and intends to maintain.

Admiral Mullen said the threats in today's world and the importance of maintaining open sea lanes for defense and trade require many nations to help keep the peace, an apparent offer to work with China on such issues. But that will have to wait until China is willing to resume military talks with the United States, a prospect that seems to have been delayed by the dispute over the Yellow Sea exercises.

The exercises were planned in response to the sinking of a South Korean Navy ship in the Yellow Sea in March, which killed 46 sailors. An international investigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the ship. China is North Korea's chief international supporter.

[sunny]

Chinese military told to keep close eye on situation

A top military officer has warned the Chinese military to keep a close eye on the changing situation amid a large-scale naval exercise in the South China Sea, held at the same time as a joint Washington-Seoul drill, State media reported on Thursday.

According to China Central Television, Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army Chen Bingde, as well as the navy commander and other high-level military leaders, oversaw a naval exercise on Monday, the second day of the US-ROK maritime drill.

The CCTV program showed major warships of the North China Sea Fleet and East China Sea Fleet appearing in the drill organized by the South China Sea Fleet, without mentioning a specific location.

"Chen Bingde stressed that (the military) should pay close attention to changes in the situation and tasks, and get well prepared for military conflicts," the program said.

The exercise involved six aspects, ranging from precision striking at long range to practice against jet fighters and missiles. It took place under an electromagnetic environment meant to simulate realistic combat conditions, CCTV said.

"It is one of the drills in China's naval history that involved comprehensive cooperation and included the launch of many missiles," CCTV said.

The drill is just one of a slew of exercises the People's Liberation Army undertook before and during the US-ROK drill in the Sea of Japan, which is known as the East Sea in the ROK.

While Washington and Seoul completed their first joint exercise on Wednesday, Seoul said that the two sides will "present a joint military exercise every month until the end of the year."

An ROK official also said a US-ROK drill is scheduled to take place in the Yellow Sea in September.

The exercises, which were initially planned in the Yellow Sea, targeted the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for its alleged role in the sinking of the ROK warship in March. Pyongyang has vehemently denied the accusations.

The move has also drawn strong criticism from Beijing. The exercises placed the Chinese capital within striking distance of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which was involved in the drill, Chinese military analysts said.

Li Jie, a researcher with the Chinese navy's military academy, told China Daily that Beijing has shown it has the determination to protect its territory not only through diplomatic speeches but also by demonstrating its military strength.

"If the bottom line were to be crossed, then China would firmly react," Li said.

Li also said the actions further stress that the South China Sea is one of China's core interests.

"The fact that the chief personally watched the performances implies that the region is seen as highly important, and the drills are considered vital," he said.

At a meeting on Asian security in Hanoi last Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as foreign ministers of other countries, pressured Beijing on issues in the South China Sea, over which China has overlapping territorial claims with some neighbors.

However Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi characterized Clinton's comments as "an attack on China". Beijing has always opposed any effort to "internationalize" the issue.

The South China Sea issue has become more complicated since the involvement of US and Japan, Li Jie added.

He also said the drill, taking place under an electromagnetic environment, has likely taken into consideration the advanced communication-jamming technologies of the US.

By Ai Yang and Li Xiaokun