Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
China sends out patrol ship amid territorial disputes
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Full Focus
Editor's choice
A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Next Playboy has 'runaway bride' sticker on cover
15 Jun 2011
U.S. agents slam gun sting effort on Mexico border
15 Jun 2011
Next Playboy has "runaway bride" sticker on cover
|
15 Jun 2011
CIA website goes down, hackers claim responsibility
15 Jun 2011
Porn star says Representative Weiner asked her to lie
15 Jun 2011
Discussed
134
Alabama governor signs nation’s toughest immigration law
111
Obama weighs new steps to boost jobs
71
Republicans to debate, with Romney the frontrunner
Watched
Hefner, fiancee split; Schwarzenegger mistress talks
Wed, Jun 15 2011
Airbus' view of flying in the future
Mon, Jun 13 2011
Obama resigns from church
Mon, Jun 2 2008
China sends out patrol ship amid territorial disputes
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Factbox
Factbox: The South China Sea's disputed maritime borders
Sun, Jun 12 2011
Related News
Kissinger, Huntsman: U.S., China need cyber detente
Tue, Jun 14 2011
Police use tear gas to quell riot in southern China
Mon, Jun 13 2011
Vietnam allows second anti-China protest in Hanoi
Sun, Jun 12 2011
Analysis: SE Asia wary of China as sea claim disputes intensify
Sun, Jun 12 2011
Analysis & Opinion
China’s forbidden market lures global blue-chips
Is China Inc still credible?
Related Topics
World »
China »
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING, Jun |
Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:03am EDT
BEIJING, Jun (Reuters) - China has sent one of its biggest civilian maritime patrol ships into the South China Sea, official media said on Thursday, a move likely to raise tensions with neighbors staking rival claims to waters thought to hold vast reserves of oil and gas.
The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration's Haixun 31 left south China on Wednesday and will head for Singapore, passing the Paracel and Spratly island groups at the heart of disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments around the region.
Official media reports made the intent of the trip plain, and the news drew concern from the Philippines.
"Our country's biggest maritime patrol ship patrols the South China Sea," said the headline in the official Beijing Daily.
The Haixun 31 will monitor shipping lanes, carry out surveying, inspect oil wells exploring for undersea reserves and "protect maritime security," the paper said -- all steps that could make for confrontation with other countries pressing claims in the sea.
It is one of two civilian ships the same size which lack the heavy firepower of naval vessels. But the Haixun 31 weighs in with a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, has a helicopter pad and can stay at sea for 40 days at a stretch traveling at 18 knots, the Beijing Daily said.
China's move comes after weeks of trading accusations with Vietnam and the Philippines over what each government sees as intrusions and illegitimate claims over territorial waters by the other in a stretch of ocean spanned by key shipping lanes.
The Philippines would be concerned if China placed markers in disputed areas of the South China Sea, the Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Thursday after talks with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.
"We are very concerned about these markers being placed in waters and areas and features that are clearly ours," del Rosario told reporters.
The Philippines said on Wednesday that it had removed markers presumed to have been placed by China, the second such incident in two weeks.
A SHOW OF RESOLVE
The official Chinese media reports announcing the ship's journey did not mention those disputes specifically, but made plain the patrol was meant to show Beijing's resolve.
"Throughout its journey, it will carry out patrolling of the marine areas being developed by China in the South China Sea," said the Takung Pao, a Chinese-language Hong Kong newspaper that is under mainland control.
"It will protect national maritime rights and sovereignty."
The South China Sea tensions have been magnified by region-wide nervousness about China's naval modernization, which has included modernizing its civilian maritime administration ships.
China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all claim territory in the South China Sea.
China has accused Vietnam of violating its claim to the Spratly archipelago and nearby seas, which Vietnam also deems its own. China calls the islands the Nansha group.
China's claim is by far the largest, forming a vast U-shape over most of the sea's 648,000 square miles (1.7 million square km), including the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.
Beijing said last week it would hold naval drills in late June in the western Pacific Ocean, and the Chinese navy has done little to disguise plans to launch its first aircraft carrier, the first step toward building an operating carrier group.
This week, Beijing also warned outside countries not to step into the dispute, after Vietnam said other countries, including the United States, could help defuse the tension.
The Haixun 31 is due to reach Singapore next Thursday after a journey of 1,400 nautical miles and will then make its way back to China, said the Beijing Daily.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie)
World
China
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Social Stream (What's this?)
© Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Thursday, 16 June 2011 NATO sliding towards Libyan ground war: Russian envoy
|
ACORN argues Congress lacked authority to cut its federal funds
Bodies of 104 Air France crash victims to reach Paris
|
33 OECD member nations see average unemployment rate drop to 8.1%
North, south Sudan clash before split: south army
|
Adele reclaims #1, "The Book of Mormom" skyrockets on Billboard 200 albums chart
Kuwait ruler warns against unrest, security threats
|
Congressional is the tough, shining star of the 2011 U.S. Open
Indonesia intensifies security before Abu Bakar Bashirs trial
U.S. helicopters fire on attackers in Iraq oil hub: military
|
Czech Republic declines participation in U.S. missile shield program
Gunmen kill Mexican governor's guards, leave threat
|
Airline mechanic stows away on U.S. Airways flight
Portugal president names Coelho new premier
Rocco DiSpirito hosts celebrity-filled 'Dinner Party' for Bravo
United States Golf Association awards 2018 U.S. Open to Shinnecock Hills
ADP says investigating data breach
|
Analysis: Computer security attracts venture capitalists
|
Garmin sees Navigon buy boosting European auto ops
|
Internet calls to generate $40 billion by 2015: report
|
Oscar mystery added to best picture race
|
Keith Urban ready to take fans on carnival ride
|
Zawahri takes over as leader of al Qaeda
|
Libyan rebels take new villages in Western Mountains
|
Indonesian Islamist cleric jailed for 15 years
|
Carmona helps Tribe regain first place
Violence in Vancouver as Canucks lose Stanley Cup
|
Syrians flee northern town as tanks close in
|
Greek PM to reshuffle government to push austerity plan
|
Turkish sailing team with all-female crew makes waves in Bulgaria regatta
Refugees flee Myanmar towns as fighting rages
|
New England, Toronto play to scoreless draw despite firing a combined 30 shots
Indians return to first place after coming from behind to edge Tigers
Cup O'Beans: Bruins capture title with whitewashing of Canucks
Mexican police capture suspected teenage assassins
|
China sends out patrol ship amid territorial disputes
|
Fielder could get bigger payday than Pujols in 2012
Serenas loss dooms all-Williams finale at Eastbourne; Baghdatis advances in Holland
Cabrera's third hit of night gives Indians 5-4 lead over Tigers
Seattle University to join Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Report: Mets new minority owner could eventually take control of team
Citi says 360,000 customers hacked in May cyber attack
|
Alibaba to split, not IPO, e-commerce unit Taobao
|
RIM faces tough sell on Q1 earnings and outlook
|
HP's latest lawsuit heightens rivalry with Oracle
|
Toshiba, HP to tie up on cloud services
|
LightSquared gets more time to file GPS test results
|
Bono's Spider-Man musical still weak, critics say
|
Next Playboy has runaway bride sticker on cover
|
Charlie Sheen loses early round in Men lawsuit
|
Funk icon Sly Stone pleads not guilty to cocaine charge
|
Fran Drescher's gay husband inspires sitcom return
|
Brad Paisley is hero to sons for songs on Cars 2
|
Exiled Thaksin seeks December return to Thailand
|
Yemen gunmen stage more attacks, Saudi oil arrives
|
Iraq's Mehdi Army faces splits, wary of return to war
|
Special Report: In Bahrain, a symbol at the heart of revolt
|
Lady Gaga's meat dress heads to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
CIA website goes down, hackers claim responsibility
|
Tunisia risks controversy with travel ads
Crystal Harris covers July issue of Playboy as Mrs. Crystal Hefner
JK Rowling launches new Harry Potter website
|
Nortel delays closely watched patent sale by a week
|
Juror jailed for Facebook contempt
|
China military paper urges steps against U.S. cyber war threat
|
ROI youth magnets for global change
Jets players wrap up workouts in New Jersey, await end to lockout
Luke Donald gets hot start at U.S. Open as rain greets early starters
Formal announcement expected on Weiner status
Cottage cheese becomes call for rebellion in Israel
Infected tooth cancels George Michael appearance at AIDS charity event
At 100, IBM inventions part of daily routine
Charlie Sheen loses early round in Men lawsuit
|
Two in court over alleged plot against Joss Stone
|
JK Rowling launches new Harry Potter website
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights