Beijing Slams South China Sea Court Proceedings
Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling set for July 12. An international court said it would deliver a hotly anticipated ruling in the Philippines' case against China over the South China Sea on July 12, drawing an immediate rebuke from Beijing, which rejects the tribunal's jurisdiction. The United States, which is a close ally of the Philippines and is concerned about China's expansive South China Sea claims, reiterated its backing for The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration and urged a peaceful resolution of the dispute. Manila is contesting China's historical claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Japan Joins U.S.-Philippine Naval Drills; Tensions Rise
Japan has joined U.S.-led maritime humanitarian exercises off the Philippines for the first time, as concerns mount among the three allies about China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. A Japanese navy replenishment ship was in Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base, to refuel a U.S. Navy floating hospital en route to Vietnam for the seven-nation humanitarian mission. It was the first time a Japanese navy ship has taken part in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief drills although a flotilla of Japanese training vessels, including a submarine, makes annual port calls in Manila. Rear Admiral Charles Williams, commander of U.S.
Japan Military Wants China "Crisis Management" Pact
Japan's highest-ranking military officer on Friday urged an early start to a "crisis management" mechanism with China amid conflicting claims to a group of tiny East China Sea islands. Relations between China and Japan, the world's second- and third-largest economies, have also been strained by the legacy of Japan's wartime occupation of its larger Asian neighbour. Patrol ships and fighter jets from both countries have shadowed each other regularly near the uninhabited islands, prompting fears an accidental collision or other incident could escalate into a larger conflict. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed this month to start work on maritime crisis management.
Japanese PM, US CNO Discuss Maritime Cooperation
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, May 27 in Abe's office to discuss regional security and maritime partnership opportunities between the United States and Japan. The meeting between Japan's political leader and the U.S. Navy service chief underscored the importance each nation places on maintaining their strong maritime relationship to achieve strength and stability in the region through cooperative efforts. "Given the increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region the importance of the Japan-U.S.
