Tag: China

It will be interesting to see what the South Korean reaction will be if the Japanese decide to expand their naval operations into the South China Sea:

Japan is interested in the South China Sea disputes gripping Southeast Asia for two main reasons. First, any tension in these waters could disrupt the free flow of traffic through critical sea lines, which are vital for resource-poor Japan’s economy and survival. Second, Japanese officials are closely monitoring how China handles these island disputes to try to discern how China might try to deal with Japan in their ongoing dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

The interconnectedness of these two issues is evident in the rife speculation that China might unilaterally declare an Air Defense Identification Zone in the South China Sea after it did so in the East China Sea in November 2013 (speculation which China has consistently denied). Such interconnectedness also leads to concerns that a negative outcome – a resolution of a dispute through the use or threat of the use of force – could set a precedent that affects other disputes. By supporting front-line states in the South China Sea, Japan sees itself as defending its own interests by upholding the norm of peaceful resolution, ironically, through military deterrence.

The U.S. would endorse a move in Japan’s security posture toward greater assertiveness and collaboration with Southeast Asian partners. Admiral Robert Thomas, commander of the Seventh Fleet, said in an interview to Reuters, “I think allies, partners and friends in the region will look to the Japanese more and more as a stabilizing function.”   [The Diplomat]

You can read more at the link, but the Japanese are seriously considering expanding air and naval operations into the South China Sea.  It seems to me this will just increase the chances of an incident between China and Japan happening.  The most likely incident would be the Chinese provoking Japanese patrols with their fishing boat fleet to create an incident.  I hope before the Japanese move forward with this that they really think through how they would respond to Chinese provocations against their forces.

Instead of complaining to the ROKs maybe the Chinese should get their own house in order by getting the North Koreans to quit making threats against South Korea which is why THAAD is reportedly being considered for deployment to South Korea in the first place:

China’s defense minister expressed concern Wednesday over a possible deployment of the United States’ advanced missile-defense (MD) system in South Korea, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

The U.S. has said it is considering deploying a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, an integral part of its MD system, to South Korea, citing evolving threats from North Korea. It is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a higher altitude in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill method.

“Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan expressed concern over the possible THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula,” defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters, without further elaboration.

Chang made the remark to his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo during a two-hour defense ministers’ meeting in Seoul.

“In response, Minister Han reaffirmed Seoul’s stance that Washington has not made any decision on the matter and has not asked South Korea (for any consultation). No agreement between Seoul and Washington exists on the issue,” Kim noted, adding that the missile-defense system “aims to solely deter and counter missiles from North Korea.”

It is the first time that a ranking Chinese official has raised the THAAD issue to South Korea publicly. China and Russia view it as a threat to their security, and critics also say it is part of a broader U.S. attempt to get the Asian ally to join its missile-defense system and could spark tensions with the neighbors.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Wealthy Chinese Fleeing the Country Like Mad—Business Sohu Infographic translated http://t.co/LZD1gODinZ HT @Inkaman pic.twitter.com/Opx17pBnkH

— ChinaFile (@ChinaFile) February 3, 2015

I wonder if the topic of the Chinese fishing boats that keep violating South Korean waters will come up?:

China’s defense minister flew into Seoul on Tuesday for talks with his South Korean counterpart on North Korea’s nuclear program and ways to boost bilateral military ties, officials here said.

Chang Wanquan is scheduled to meet with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday to exchange views on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s nuclear issue, according to the officials.

Chang, who will leave Seoul on Thursday, is the third Chinese defense minister to visit South Korea. The last ministerial visit was made in 2006.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the squid industry on Ullengdo is on the verge of collapse due to overfishing by Chinese boats:

Once abundant squid stocks in the East Sea have now almost been depleted by Chinese fishermen who operate in North Korean waters. This has caused tremendous hardship among fishermen on Ulleung Island, Korea’s most famous squid fishing point.

“Only five years ago the market was brimming with boxes of fresh squid every morning, but now we can no longer talk about it with any pride,” said 59-year-old trawler captain Lee Ju-hyuk.

The Jeodong market near the pier, where all the catch is gathered and traded, was one-third empty around 6:30 a.m. on Monday. But at this hour five years ago the catch was so abundant that people had to put spare boxes in nearby buildings.

Bright squid-lure lamps lit up the horizon off the island all night. When the boats arrived at dawn, workers cleaned the squid and middlemen bought and loaded them on their trucks.

But on Monday only about 30 middlemen and workers hovered around the fish collection point, and most of them had to turn back empty-handed. Around this time of year, squid used to be dried everywhere — on the seawall, in front of the door and on the tin roof of every household. Now that is history.

People here put the blame squarely on Chinese fishermen, who started fishing in northern waters in 2010.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

CREEPY: Man in China wakes up as his family tries to bury him http://t.co/JxRNWvAOTM pic.twitter.com/JAtoagYcgz

— DramaFever (@dramafever) January 30, 2015

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”><p>China Tries to Keep Couples From Sending Fetal Blood Abroad (for sex testing) <a href=”http://t.co/xzPhX9cSTY”>http://t.co/xzPhX9cSTY</a></p>&mdash; JamesTurnbull (@JamesTurnbull) <a href=”https://twitter.com/JamesTurnbull/status/558572369124786176″>January 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

If Beijing decided to pull a Putin on its neighbors, would the United States have any real options besides war? http://t.co/VHr2DTMbKY

— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) January 10, 2015

It seems like smuggling drugs is risky enough, but to smuggle them into a country that will not hesitate to kill you just seems stupid:

China executed a South Korean national last week for smuggling and trading drugs, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Monday, following Beijing’s execution of three South Korean drug dealers five months earlier.

Despite Seoul’s repeated pleas for clemency, the Chinese authorities on Tuesday executed the South Korean national, identified only by his surname Kim, who was sentenced to death for drug smuggling and transportation in China, the ministry said.

Kim was arrested in China in May 2010 on charges of smuggling some 5 kilograms of drugs into the country and trafficking them.

A Chinese district court sentenced him to death in April 2012 and an appellate court upheld the ruling eight months later. China’s highest court also confirmed the sentence.

Seoul’s foreign ministry expressed regret over China’s execution of the South Korean national despite its repeated calls for clemency.

“The Korean government regrets that the execution took place although Seoul had requested Beijing to refrain from handing carrying it out on humanitarian grounds and the principle of reciprocity,” the foreign ministry said. “We plan to beef up cooperation with related countries to prevent Korean nationals from being involved in drug-related crime.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

This is a nice gesture by the Park administration which hopefully the Chinese government appreciates:

South Korea plans to return some 60 sets of remains of Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War to their homeland, a defense ministry official here said Monday.

In a symbolic gesture of friendship toward its former battlefield foe, South Korea pledged to repatriate the bodies to China by March during the Seoul-Beijing security talks held in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the official.

“After the repatriation last year, we’ve unearthed some 60 more bodies of the Chinese servicemembers. After taking some necessary steps, we will send them back to their home by March,” the official said, asking not to be named. “The Chinese side expressed gratitude for the decision.”

In March last year, the South Korean government returned the bodies of 437 Chinese soldiers killed on Korean soil during the war on humanitarian grounds, after President Park Geun-hye made such an offer during a 2013 summit with her Chinese counterpart.  [Yonhap]