• Demonstrators in Manila protest China's stance over disputed lagoon while China suspends travel to t
    9 replies, posted
[QUOTE](CNN) -- Scores of people in the Philippine capital held a demonstration Friday to protest China's increasingly bellicose rhetoric about a monthlong naval standoff between Beijing and Manila over a disputed lagoon in the South China Sea. Gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the demonstrators waved Philippine flags and held up banners displaying slogans like "Stop China's aggression now." [B]The protest follows a string of signals from China this week suggesting that the Asian economic and military giant is losing patience with its smaller neighbor's insistence that it has sovereignty over the contested area, the Scarborough Shoal.[/B] The PLA Daily, the official Chinese military newspaper, has warned that the country's armed forces would not allow anyone to challenge China's sovereignty over the tiny island outcrop, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and Manila calls Panatag Shoal. "We want to say that anyone's attempt to take away China's sovereignty over Huangyan Island will not be allowed by the Chinese government, people and armed forces," the newspaper said, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. The planned protests in the Philippines prompted China to advise its citizens there to remain indoors, state media reported. [B]"The Philippines has been repeatedly making strong-worded remarks over the Huangyan Island," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei. "China hopes the Philippines will not take any actions to magnify the dispute in a way that may affect the relationship between the two countries."[/B] Chinese travel agencies have suspended tours to the Philippines, according to state media, and China's Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said earlier this week that she was not optimistic about the situation in the South China Sea after meeting Philippine officials. Raul Hernandez, a spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, said that officials "are endeavoring to undertake a new diplomatic initiative, which we hope will help defuse the situation." The standoff over the lagoon, some 130 miles (200 kilometers) from the Philippine island of Luzon, began last month when Manila sent its largest naval vessel to the area to investigate Chinese fishing boats it says were illegally fishing there. Chinese surveillance vessels then arrived on the scene, preventing the Philippine navy sailors from arresting the fishermen and starting the tense maritime deadlock. China says the fishing boats were just seeking shelter in the lagoon. Both countries have since shuffled different vessels in and out of the area, saying they want a diplomatic solution to the problem. But neither side is willing to back down altogether. Analysts believe the area is rich in mineral resources, natural gas and oil -- providing a strong economic subtext to the diplomatic wrangling. Beijing and Manila are adamant that their territorial arguments are justified. [B]"They both have claims," said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, the North East Asia project director and China adviser for the International Crisis Group. "China goes back centuries, but the Philippines also says it has maps from the 18th century showing it belongs them."[/B] Philippine officials say they want to resolve the dispute through international negotiation. That approach was among the calls from the demonstrators in Manila on Friday. "We hope that these actions will convince the Chinese government to sit down at a multilateral platform," said Risa Hontiveros, a spokeswoman for the Akbayan Party who participated in the protest. But China rejects this because it has a long-standing distrust of Western-dominated international mediators, Kleine-Ahlbrandt said. [B]"There are a dozen ships in a standoff there right now," she said. "Both sides are really using this for all it is worth, whipping up nationalistic sentiment -- what is needed is something to de-escalate the situation."[/B] The standoff comes against the backdrop of the political scandal in China surrounding the former high-ranking Communist Party official Bo Xilai and ahead of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition due later this year. [img]http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120510085917-scarborough-shoal-island-map-story-top.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/world/asia/philippines-china-dispute/index.html?hpt=wo_c2[/url] [QUOTE]The China National Tourism Organization (CNTO) has announced the suspension of all travel to the Philippines in the wake of an ongoing sovereignty wrangle between Beijing and Manila over an island in the South China Sea. Many mainland Chinese travel agents -- including top agencies Ctrip, Caissa International Travel Service and Shanghai International Tour Service Company -- had already halted tours to the Philippines, according to Xinhua News Agency. On CNN: Tensions over disputed island The CNTO announcement, made late Thursday, forces all agents to suspend travel. Travelers who have already booked trips to the Philippines were advised to cancel or postpone their plans. Some agencies, such as Ctrip, agreed to give full refunds to travelers. Most Chinese media did not directly link the initial travel suspension to the ongoing China-Philippines dispute over the sovereignty of the Scarborough Shoal. The CNTO cited an anti-China protest set for May 11 in the Philippines as a reason behind its announcement. Netizen reactions [B]Most netizens on China's Weibo sites appeared to be in favor of the travel suspension. "Best if all the China travel agencies could suspend or halt travel packages to the Philippines," posted netizen "Zhangxiaopingspeaking" (张小萍speaking) on Sina Weibo.[/B] "Support! I wish the China National Tourism Organization could set black warning on travel to the Philippines," netizen "azalea blossom on the hillside" (开满山坡的映山红) posted on the same microblog platform. Some netizens suggest China start sending tourists to the disputed island as an alternative to the Philippines. "It's just Boracay, Cebu and Bohol (in Philippines), so what? We Chinese don't care at all," wrote "Jing baby_1128" (静宝贝_1128) on Sina. "What we want to visit is Huangyan Island; without the visa requirement, it's so much easier for us to go." However, there are still notes of disappointment. “[This is] not good news," commented Chinese netizen Eric_Ning. "I’ve prepared a long time for the trip and now everything is sorted but [I] have to cancel.” Chinese travelers important to the Philippines Mainland China is now the fourth largest source of tourists for the Philippines, following South Korea, the United States and Japan, according to the Philippines Department of Tourism. In the first quarter of 2012, 96,455 mainland Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian nation, accounting for 8.4 percent of the total visitor volume. That's 77 percent higher than the same period last year, and the Philippines is expecting a 25 percent increase in Chinese tourists annually over the next five years. Boracay, Cebu and Bohol are the most popular destinations in the Philippines among Chinese travelers. Most Chinese join group tours and fly nonstop from eastern China. Safety concerns According to a Chinese-language report in Xinhua, travel agencies had earlier this week halted trips to the Philippines in order to "ensure the safety of Chinese citizens." However, the article did not elaborate on the nature of the safety concerns. Dao Shuming (道书明), secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Bureau, told a TV station that travel agencies in China were informed by Filipino travel agencies that Chinese travelers faced safety issues and that they would prefer Chinese tour groups to stay away. “We know 497 Shanghainese tourists are still in the Philippines -- we hope they come back soon,” added Dao. Various tour companies told Xinhua they are paying close attention to the development of the China-Philippines standoff and will not reopen routes to the Philippines until the situation improves. Philippines Tourism Organization offices in Shanghai and Beijing both declined to comment. Island dispute background Beijing and Manila both claim Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island. It is some 130 miles (200 kilometers) from the Philippine island of Luzon. Analysts believe the area is rich in mineral resources, natural gas and oil. A tense standoff between China and the Philippines has been underway since April 10, when the Philippine Navy accused Chinese boats of fishing illegally off of Scarborough Shoal.[/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/china-travel-suspension-437031[/url] China, don't you think you have enough land :v:
Considering their population density, not nearly enough.
[img]http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120510085917-scarborough-shoal-island-map-story-top.jpg[/img] Given the image of where the shoal is, it makes perfect sense that it should really belong to China.
China claims literally half of the seas from China down to Brunei. They are greedy little fucks when it comes to the sea.
[QUOTE=Zambies!;35927073]China claims literally half of the seas from China down to Brunei. They are greedy little fucks when it comes to the sea.[/QUOTE] China would claim the whole world if it could
[QUOTE=Reds;35926075]Considering their population density, not nearly enough.[/QUOTE] Everyone knows their ghost cities have a maximum population size of 3 people.
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;35926253][img]http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120510085917-scarborough-shoal-island-map-story-top.jpg[/img] Given the image of where the shoal is, it makes perfect sense that it should really belong to China.[/QUOTE] What about the Falklands?
[QUOTE=jaredop;35930348]What about the Falklands?[/QUOTE] The Philippines have had that island since Indepence The Chinese never had a legitimate claim on it. The UK claimed that Island since the 1800's The Argentinans' never had a legitimate claim on it.
China you dick heads leave my people alone
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/54145000/gif/_54145268__48951920_south_china-sea_1_466-1.gif[/img] Yay for bullshit claims. [quote][B]China denies preparing war over South China Sea shoal[/B] China denies its fleet is on alert The defence ministry statement comes despite warnings to the Philippines that military conflict is possible over a reef known as the Scarborough Shoal. Ships from China and the Philippines have been confronting each other for more than a month over the shoal. Both sides accuse the other of intruding into territorial waters. "Reports that the Guangzhou military region, the South China Sea fleet and other units have entered a state of war preparedness are untrue," the ministry said in a brief statement on its website late on Friday. Fears of an armed clash escalated when the Chinese army's own newspaper warned the military should not be treated as a paper tiger, says BBC Asia analyst Charles Scanlon. That led to excited rumours on Chinese internet sites that the navy was preparing for action and that the Guangzhou military command in the south of the country was on a war footing, our analyst says. The defence ministry has officially denied those reports - but hardline elements in the leadership appear to be losing patience with the defiant approach of a much smaller neighbour. Analysts say the central government may see an opportunity to deflect attention from its internal problems. [B]Protests[/B] On Friday, several hundred protesters demonstrated at the Chinese embassy in Manila, calling for China to withdraw its ships from the shoal. The row began early last month when the Philippines said its naval ship had found eight Chinese fishing vessels at the shoal, which is claimed by both sides. A number of Chinese and Philippine fishery and coastguard ships remain stationed at the shoal, with both sides refusing to withdraw. The shoal itself, called Huangyan Island by China, is a series of rocks and reefs more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China. China claims sovereignty over a large U-shaped area of the South China Sea, bringing it into dispute with several neighbouring countries. In recent months, it has grown more assertive over the issue. Manila has asked China to settle the issue at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). On Saturday, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr - speaking at the start of a visit to China - called on countries in the region to settle their claims through international law. "We don't take a side on the various claims over the South China Sea," he said. "But we do, given our interest in the South China Sea, given the fact that a large proportion of our trade travels through it, ... call on governments to clarify and pursue those claims and accompanying maritime rights in accordance with international law including the UN Law of the Sea Convention."[/quote] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18045383[/url]
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.