South China Sea – SeaWaves – the BEST naval news since 1995

China Escalates Coercion Against Vietnam’s Longstanding Oil and Gas Activity in the South China Sea

August 30, 2019 seawaves

August 26, 2019 – The Department of Defense is greatly concerned by China’s continued efforts to violate the rules-based international order throughout the Indo-Pacific. Recently, China resumed its coercive interference in Vietnam’s longstanding oil and gas activities in the South China Sea (SCS), directly contradicting Chinese Minister of Defense Wei Fenghe’s pledge at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China would “stick to the path of peaceful development.” China’s actions stand in contrast to the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small,…

UNCLOS 1982 remains a framework for legal order for the seas and oceans

August 9, 2019 seawaves

August 9, 2019 – The year 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982) and also the 25th year since Việt Nam ratified the convention. On June 23, 1994, the National Assembly of Việt Nam adopted the Resolution ratifying the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This year marks the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of UNCLOS and the ratification and deposit of the instrument of ratification by Việt Nam with the…

Chinese survey ship withdrawn from Vietnamese waters: Foreign ministry

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 seawaves

August 8, 2019 (VNA) – The Chinese survey ship that encroached upon Việt Nam’s continental shelf reportedly since early July has been withdrawn, Việt Nam’s authorities confirmed today. “According to the information we have obtained, on the afternoon of August 7, the Haiyang Di Zhi 08 (Marine Geology 8) survey vessel has halted its geological mission and left Việt Nam’s Exclusive Economic Zone and southeastern continental shelf, which are determined in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu…

Việt Nam Statement on Chinese Actions at Prince Consort Bank

July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 seawaves

July 29, 2019 – No country has the right to arrogantly and callously ask Việt Nam to stop exploring oil and gas fields in waters where Việt Nam holds sovereignty and sovereign rights, says the Vietnam News Agency Tư Chính reef (internationally known as Vanguard Bank) is located in Việt Nam’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and completely belongs to the country, defined in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). According to the 1982 UNCLOS’s Article 56, in their exclusive economic zones,…

Taiwan Statement on USS Antietam Transit of Taiwan Strait

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019 seawaves

July 25, 2019 (Google Translation) – The Ministry of National Defense said today (25) that a US warship (USS Antietam) sailed through the Taiwan Strait from south to north from the southwestern waters of China. The Ministry of National Defense pointed out that the US ship is free to sail through the Taiwan Strait, and the National Army uses the joint ISR as the whole process to grasp the dynamics of the surrounding sea and airspace in China. There is no abnormality during the period, and the people of the…

Destroyer flotilla conducts three-day training in the South China Sea

February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 seawaves

American, British Navies Sail Together in South China Sea

January 16, 2019 seawaves

January 15, 2019 – USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll (F231) conducted operations together in the South China Sea, Jan. 11-16. At sea, McCampbell and Argyll conducted communication drills, division tactics, and a personnel exchange designed to address common maritime security priorities, enhance interoperability, and develop relationships that will benefit both navies for many years to come. “We routinely train with regional allies and partners, but it is a rare opportunity for my team to work with the Royal Navy,” said Cmdr. Allison Christy,…

If US Warship “Illegally” Violates Chinese Territorial Waters Again, Bump Against It States “Expert”

December 14, 2018 seawaves

December 10, 2018 – In a discussion on the topic of What Lies ahead for the South China Sea Issue and the Taiwan Question on December 8, Dai Xu, president of China’s Institute of Marine Safety and Cooperation, suggested that if a US warship illegally enters into Chinese territorial waters again, two Chinese warships should be sent, one to stop it and the other to bump against and sink it, adding, “In China’s territorial waters, we won’t allow US warships to run amok.” Dai said he believes that both the…

Maritime security cooperation would reduce risks of confrontation in the South China Sea

December 5, 2018 seawaves

December 5, 2018 – Maritime law enforcement agencies should help uphold order, not become the tools of governments to “project power and change the order” in the East Sea, said Dr Phạm Lan Dung, vice president of the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam. The ill-advised practice of unilateral moves has “resulted in a number of confrontations” in the region – one of the busiest sea lanes in the world – she said and called for deepened cooperation between the agencies of littoral countries. Her remarks were made as the legal…

Chinese military monitors, warns US warship

December 2, 2018 seawaves

November 30, 2018 – Chinese military monitored a US warship that entered Chinese territorial waters without permission and warned it to leave on Monday, a spokesman said on Friday. Navy and Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command will continue to watch closely Chinese waters and air to prevent any incident that may harm China’s national security and to safeguard national sovereignty, senior colonel Li Huamin, spokesman of the command, said in a statement. On Monday, USS Chancellorsville entered the territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in…

PLA Navy Flight Training Over South China Sea

September 21, 2018 seawaves

South China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy taxi on the runway before takeoff for a live-fire flight training exercise at a shooting range near the South China Sea on September 19, 2018. [smartslider3 slider=91]

Countries Cautioned on Actions in South China Sea

September 18, 2018 seawaves

September 18, 2018 – China on Monday urged countries outside the region to behave with caution and refrain from activities that undermine regional peace and stability, after Japan conducted its first ever peacetime submarine drill in the South China Sea. “The situation in the South China Sea has cooled down and is improving,” Geng Shuang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a regular news conference in Beijing. On Monday, The Japan Times quoted the Japanese Defense Ministry as saying that the submarine Kuroshio, along with the Kaga helicopter destroyer and…

Beijing Protests UK Naval “Incursion”

September 10, 2018December 10, 2018 seawaves

September 7, 2018 – Beijing expressed strong dissatisfaction on Thursday after a naval vessel from the United Kingdom sailed into territorial waters off China’s Xisha Islands, with China urging an immediate cessation of such provocative actions. Reuters reported that HMS Albion, a 22,000-ton amphibious warship, passed near the Xisha Islands on August 31 on its way to Vietnam. “HMS Albion exercised her rights for freedom of navigation in full compliance with international law and norms,” Reuters cited a spokesman for the Royal Navy as saying. The warship illegally entered territorial…

PLA Navy Frigates Exercising in South China Sea

July 10, 2018July 10, 2018 seawaves

The guided-missile frigate Meizhou (Hull 584) （R）attached to a frigate flotilla with the South China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy conducts an astern replenishment-at-sea with the guided-missile frigate Jingmen (Hull 506) during a maritime live-fire training exercise in waters of the South China Sea from July 5 to 7, 2018. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Cai Shengqiu) The guided-missile frigate Meizhou (Hull 584) （L） attached to a frigate flotilla with the South China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy moors alongside the guided-missile frigate Jingmen (Hull 506) during a maritime live-fire training…

USNS Washington Chambers Replenishes Royal Malaysian Navy Frigate

April 10, 2018 seawaves

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11), conducted an underway replenishment (UNREP) with a Royal Malaysian Navy ship in the South China Sea, April 7. The Washington Chambers, a Lewis and Clark-class ship, transferred about 5,000 gallons of fuel to KD Lekiu (F30), a Lekiu-class frigate of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The ability to UNREP Lekiu allows the ship to increase its range and transit further east in support of this year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC 2018). The U.S. Pacific Fleet-sponsored RIMPAC exercise, the world’s largest international naval exercise, is…