Such political wins would not diminish the importance of Scarborough Shoal as a SCS military asset.
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- Thread starter Jeff Head
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No but it mitigates the need for more explicit actions.
If by explicit actions you mean reclamation, then I disagree. The SCS is apparently being turned into an SSBN bastion, which of course has nothing to do with middling regional powers. It is also an outlying defensive perimeter against USN intrusion into Chinese littorals, again nothing to do with regional powers. Both of these require an eastern anchor for a triangle-shaped defensive perimeter in the southern reaches of the SCS.
Work has been done at Scarborough...just not the major work was done on the seven major efforts in the SCS. The main reclamation efforts were at:
Chigua Reef (Johnson South Reef)
Dongmen Reef (Hughes Reef)
Huayang Reef (Cuateron Reef)
Nanxun Reef (Gaven Reef)
Yongshu Reef (Fiery Cross Reef)
Zubi Reef (Subi Reef)
Meiji Reef (Mischief Reef)
So, I retract the issue regarding it as one of the major reclamation islands (it was not, though work on it has been done), and also on whether it is just a shoal alone. It has enough land mass and height to not qualify in that instance.
USNI says this about the SHoal/ISland:
" It covers an area, including an inner lagoon, of 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The shoal’s highest point, South Rock, measures 1.8 m (5.9 ft) above water during high tide. Located north of it is a channel, approximately 370 m (1,214 ft) wide and 9–11 m (30–36 ft) deep, leading into the lagoon. Several other coral rocks encircle the lagoon, forming a large atoll."
IMHO, however, given what I just quote, the US should not press the12 mile limit on this island. It is clearly disputed by the Philippines, but it is clear as well that China occupies it, and has made a pretty nice place out of it.
The US and the Philippines have their issues with Chinese occupation there. Here's a fairly good article I believe that summarizes the Chinese points regarding how things got to where they are:
Remember...the Philippines and the US differ from this version of events. I personally believe that the US and the Philippines are both concerned about the potential for that island actually undergoing much more major reclamation efforts and turning it into something like the other seven works...just 50 miles from the Philippines and that is the real issue here
.
Edit: N/M read the article wrong.
I think the Philippines aren't nearly as concerned as the US is. China doesn't need Scarborough Shoal to attack the Philippines. It won't ever have a need to attack the Philippines in the first place. China needs Scarborough Shoal to complete its SCS defenses against the US, and that is what has got the US concerned far more than Duterte seems to be.
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There is concern in the Philippines...and it is pretty wide spread. But it is not on the front burner right now with that current admin.
And the US really, IMHO, has no need for such heavy concern.
The US, as I said above, should bot have made an issue of Scarborough from a 12 mile perspective. That is not the issue there. The issue is who controls the island and the right now the Chinese occupy it.
But that reef/island will not not amount to much in any major conflict in any case and so the US should not treat it (IMHO) like it would.
China clearly would like to maintain its occupation that close to the Philippines...but in terms of US military strategy, it would not make much of a speed bump if things went really bad...and we do not want things to go bad.
The US, IMHO, is within its rights for FON closer than 12 miles on the man-made/constructed reclamation on top of shoals and reefs that were not naturally that way in the SCS.
But Scarborough is naturally that way so the US, IMHO,should, for the sake of expediency, and since China occupies it, not make that the issue there. State that the US does not agree with the Chinese occupation and then make it an ongoing issue for international arbitration. Do not muddy the 12 mi issue with the 3 mile (or whatever the official distance is for man-made structures on tops of reefs and shoals that do not meet the continental or land mass limits).
Anyhow, as I said to antiterror and plawolf, the major reclamation essentially making an island out of something that did not already meet the limits did not occur there and that was my bad.
There is no difference in the UNCLOS between territorial boundary surrounding islands and shoals. Both are entitled to 12 nautical miles of sovereign waters. Scarborough shoal isn't entitled to EEZs like an island would but it is entitled to 12 nautical miles of territorial waters.
I don't know where you read 3 nautical miles or whatever but no such boundary exists.
Here's the relevant section on territorial waters, starting page 27.
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Jura The idiot
General
Yesterday at 11:42 AM
China says US warship violated sovereignty near Scarborough
:
“The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future,” Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said after China’s claim. FONOP is the military’s term for freedom of navigation operations.
She said such operations are “not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.” Instead they aim to “demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.”
now noticed there's a USN statement inside
China says US warship violated sovereignty near Scarborough
:
“The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future,” Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said after China’s claim. FONOP is the military’s term for freedom of navigation operations.
She said such operations are “not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.” Instead they aim to “demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.”
Jura The idiot
General
now noticed
China blasts new US defense strategy
China blasts new US defense strategy
just in case: Friday at 6:04 PM
plus Friday at 8:14 AM
duncanidaho
Junior Member
Part of the description and the picture of the island in your link is false, it describes and shows the Duncan island of the Paracel group.
The channel leading into the lagoon is located in the southeast and not north.
