China warns US naval exercise may lead to conflict

TENSIONS OVER disputed areas in the South China Sea continued to intensify at the weekend as China warned the United States that its joint naval exercise in the region has raised the risk of armed confrontation.

China has territorial disputes with practically everyone in the region about the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, and defence experts believe that the next conflict in the region will probably relate to one or other of these issues.

Recent weeks have seen a maritime standoff between the Philippines and China in disputed sovereign seas near the Scarborough Shoal, west of a former US navy base at Subic Bay.

Read more: Irish Times

Read more »

China Navy asked to Prepare for Warfare

[ BBC China ] 7 Dec

China's navy should speed up its development and prepare for warfare, President Hu Jintao has said. He told military personnel they should "make extended preparations for warfare".

China is locked in territorial disputes with several other nations in the South China Sea. Political tension is also growing with the US, which is seeking to boost its presence in the region.

Read more »

China’s Wen warns “outside forces” off South China Sea dispute

[Full Story: Dawn News] 18 Nov

"Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Friday that “outside forces” had no excuse to get involved in a complex dispute over the South China Sea, offering a veiled warning to the United States and others not to stick their noses into the sensitive issue," reports Dawn quoting Reuters.

While the White House says U.S. President Barack Obama will bring up the issue at another summit on Saturday, also in Bali, China has said it does not want it discussed, preferring to deal with the problem bilaterally amongst the states directly involved.

Read more »