#mer_de_chine_méridionale

Chine - États-Unis : en marche vers la guerre

#Chine #États-Unis #impérialisme #Taïwan #guerre #propagande

South China Sea: US unveils first sanctions linked to militarisation | South China Sea | The Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/south-china-sea-us-unveils-first-sanctions-linked-to-militarisation

The United States has blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals it said were part of construction and military efforts in the South China Sea, its first such sanctions move over the disputed strategic waterway.

The US Commerce Department said the companies played a “role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarise the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea”.

#chine #états-unis #mer_de_chine_méridionale

Les installations fixes en #Mer_de_Chine_méridionale
(base de données)

Island Tracker Archive | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
▻https://amti.csis.org/island-tracker

Five claimants occupy nearly 70 disputed reefs and islets spread across the #South_China_Sea. They have built more than 90 outposts on these contested features, many of which have seen expansion in recent years. AMTI has gathered satellite imagery of each outpost, along with other relevant information, to document their current status and any changes they have undergone in recent years. Explore the database below.

Chine : 27
Malaisie : 5
Philippines : 9
Taiwan : 1
Vietnam : 21 (+ 6 plateformes)

Journal articles ‘tacitly support China territory grab’

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/styles/the_breaking_news_image_style/public/web-the_120919_p08_getty.jpg?itok=1si5XrKQ#.jpg

The role of academic journals in adjudicating on fiercely disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea has come under scrutiny as Chinese scholars use maps endorsing China’s position.

Papers by Chinese researchers, often co-authored with Western collaborators, have been illustrated with maps that include the “nine-dash line” – a U-shaped borderline stretching south from China and Taiwan to Borneo. It envelopes islands and reefs claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, including Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands.

An international tribunal convened in The Hague in 2016 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled against the line. China disputes the ruling.

Clive Hamilton, professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, claimed that the issue echoed moves in 2017 by Springer Nature and Cambridge University Press to appease China by removing politically sensitive articles from their Chinese websites.

“Here’s another example of Beijing asserting its claims through international scientific journals,” said Professor Hamilton, a high-profile critic of Chinese foreign policy.

“A very big, economically powerful authoritarian power [is] engaged in a political struggle over territory, and wants the international scientific community to in effect endorse its claim by publishing maps that have no validity under international law.”

He said Chinese researchers “would undoubtedly suffer if they were authors of an article in an international journal that included the South China Sea but did not show the nine-dash line”.

However, one influential journal said that it was “not unusual” for scientific publishers to remain neutral on jurisdictional claims, while a China expert warned of the difficulty of requiring peer reviewers to be aware of and enforce geopolitical issues.

Times Higher Education has found nine-dash line representations in nine journal articles by Chinese researchers. Most have been published since early last year, and none is about maritime issues. The papers’ subject matter includes bamboo, butterflies and Tibetan vegetation. Five boast co-authors from Australia, Germany, Scotland, Singapore and the US.

An Australian geneticist based in Japan said maps depicting Chinese ownership of South China Sea islands appeared in about half the Chinese-authored papers he came across. Their frequency was increasing, the scientist continued, and they now appeared in high-ranking international journals as well as in smaller publications favoured by Chinese authors.

The researcher, who asked not to be named, said he had objected to such a map’s inclusion in a forthcoming paper he wrote with Chinese collaborators. “I was told that they cannot do anything because it is a requirement of the Chinese Communist Party. They are provided with official maps that they have to use.

“Most [foreign co-authors] choose to ignore it, perhaps because they think it is not worth the trouble to say anything. Journals do not give guidelines on how to deal with the issue when reviewing papers.”

THE sought comment from the journals Cells, Diversity and Distributions, Molecular Ecology, New Phytologist and Plos One. The last was the only one to respond, saying that a policy introduced last year required territorial descriptions in submitted manuscripts to “follow international treaties and conventions”.

“Otherwise, Plos remains neutral on any jurisdictional claims expressed,” it added. “This policy is not unusual in scientific publishing.”

Professor Hamilton said journals that failed to enforce such policies “implicitly endorsed a claim that violated the rights of poor Filipino fishermen. My guess is editors have probably not had it drawn to their attention,” he added.

University of Melbourne entomologist Nancy Endersby co-authored a 2019 Cells paper that contains representations of the nine-dash line. “If I had been aware of this inclusion and its significance, I would not have allowed my name to be on the paper,” she said. “I focused on the molecular aspect of the paper and trusted [the] map was accurate.”

Co-author Ary Hoffman said: “Now that we’re aware of it, we’ll certainly look for it in any future collaborative efforts. As biologists, it is not something that was on our radar.”

James Laurenceson, head of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, supported Professor Hamilton in raising the issue. He said Chinese academics were likely to assume that Beijing would “look approvingly” on their reproduction of the nine-dash line.

“But I wouldn’t necessarily take it as evidence that they’ve been directed to do so,” he said. “I’m not sure the Chinese bureaucracy is that organised.”

Professor Laurenceson said peer review had failed to pick up the offending maps. “Finding peer reviewers of journals is tough enough already,” he said. “If we insist that they’re also aware of geopolitical issues, many academics are just not going to have the time to be abreast of it.”

▻https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/journal-articles-tacitly-support-china-territory-grab

#manipulation #cartographie #visualisation #Chine #Philippines #différend_territorial #revues_scientifiques #recherche #nine-dash_line #Mer_de_Chine_méridionale #responsabilité

ping @simplicissimus @reka

Inside the Close Naval Encounters in the South China Sea - Bloomberg

On notera que la seule chose que confient les officiers interrogés sur ce navire amiral est que le comportement des navires qui les ont pistés à de multiples reprises à toujours été extrêmement sûr. Ils ne disent pas a toujours été extrêmement professionnel, car cela contredirait trop ouvertement les déclarations officielles.

▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-13/south-china-sea-naval-encounters

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/izlgQkNRxx6Y/v0/1000x-1.jpg

The voice on the radio in the middle of the South China Sea follows a familiar script for Captain Eric Anduze, who helms the USS Blue Ridge. It’s China on the phone.

“They’ll contact us and they’ll go — ‘U.S. government vessel, this is Chinese Navy vessel’ number whatever — ‘we will maintain five miles from you and escort you as you make your transit,”’ Anduze said, describing the English-speaking voice from a rival Chinese warship.

The U.S. response is short: “Chinese vessel, this is government vessel 1 9, copy, out.” From there on, silence, as the vessels of the world’s rival powers steam onward together.

The ship-to-ship interactions are a regular potential flash point for the world’s two biggest militaries in contested waters. In September, a Chinese destroyer sailed within a football field’s distance of the USS Decatur in what the U.S. said was an “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuver. That hasn’t deterred future sailings — the U.S. sent two guided-missile destroyers within 12 nautical miles of disputed islands earlier this month.

Based in Japan, the Blue Ridge is a frequent traveler through the South China Sea, which Beijing considers its waters against an international community increasingly concerned by its encroachment. The area is home to key shipping lanes and fisheries that have sparked dispute between China and its neighbors.
[…]
The U.S. Navy allowed media outlets, including Bloomberg, an inside look at the sort of ship it’s using to sail through the disputed waters. The oldest operational warship in the American Navy, the Blue Ridge is the flagship of the 7th Fleet, and docked in Singapore as part of a tour of southeast Asian port cities.

The Blue Ridge is billed as one of the most technologically advanced ships in the world. It operates as a central information node for a fleet whose range stretches from the Indian-Pakistan border to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Through its several computers flow a database the Navy says gives it a “complete tactical picture of air, surface and subsurface contacts.” That’s what it does: it sails and it knows things.

The ship is a small floating town of more than 1,000 sailors at any given time. There are beds and cafeterias, fitness centers and a post office. A miniature hospital has sick beds and an operating room, along with a dentist who can fill a cavity or pull a tooth — unless the waves get too rough. Up on deck, sailors can jog around a makeshift track around the ship, at about seven laps to a mile.

Since February, Captain Anduze said the Blue Ridge has been escorted by Chinese vessels about six times in an almost unremarkable and now routine manner.

In Washington, the view is that China uses “coercive tactics” including its naval and paramilitary vessels to enforce claims in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said last week in its annual report on China’s military power. Those are targeted “in ways calculated to be below the threshold of provoking conflict,” though have escalated into near-misses with U.S. warships.

Naval officials on the Blue Ridge declined to comment in detail on those more aggressive encounters, except to say nothing similar had happened with them as they passed through the South China Sea’s shipping lanes.

“We have had ships that come about three to four miles away and then just navigate with us throughout the area,” Anduze said. Those interactions have been “very safe.”

China Military Threat: Seeking New Islands to Conquer - James Stavridis - Bloomberg
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-02-21/china-military-threat-seeking-new-islands-to-conquer

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iVbD2L9q9IaQ/v1/1000x-1.png

The constant refrain was simple: The West is becoming a less reliable partner. These allies are dismayed by a U.S. administration that has repeatedly criticized its closest partners and accused them of freeloading on defense. They are also worried about weakness and distraction of a Europe facing Brexit. This is compounded as they watch China increase pressure on Taiwan to accept a “one nation, two systems” deal a la Hong Kong and militarize the #South_China_Sea by constructing artificial islands.
[…]
There is also a less-noticed but extremely worrisome aspect to China’s increasing boldness: It seems to be building its naval capability to dominate farther into the Pacific — as far as what Western analysts call the “second island chain.”

When thinking in a geo-strategic sense about China, the island-chain formulation is helpful. Since the 1950s, U.S. planners have delineated a first island chain, running from the Japanese islands through the Philippines, and down to the tip of Southeast Asia. Dominating inside that line has been the goal of China’s recent buildup in naval and missile capabilities. But U.S. officials warn that Chinese strategists are becoming more ambitious, set on gaining influence running to the second island chain — running from Japan through the Micronesian islands to the tip of Indonesia. As with its initial forays into the South China Sea, Beijing is using “scientific” missions and hydrographic surveying ships as the tip of the spear.

Japan and Singapore are essentially anchors at the north and south ends the island chains. They have been integrating their defense capabilities with the U.S. through training, exercises and arms purchases. They are exploring better relations with India as the Pacific and Indian Oceans are increasingly viewed as a single strategic entity. This is a crucial element in the U.S. strategy for the region. But there are changes coming.

First, there are expectations that China will eye the third island chain, encompassing Hawaii and the Alaskan coast before dropping south down to New Zealand. This has long been regarded as the final line of strategic demarcation between the U.S. and China. Second, some analysts are beginning to talk about a fourth and even fifth island chain, both in the Indian Ocean, an increasingly crucial zone of competition between the U.S. and China.

Two obvious Indian Ocean chains exist. The first would run from southern Pakistan (where China has created a deep-water port at Gwador) down past Diego Garcia, the lonely atoll controlled by the U.K. from which the U.S. runs enormous logistical movements into Central Asia. As a junior officer on a Navy cruiser in the 1980s, I visited Diego Garcia when it was essentially a fuel stop with a quaint palm-thatched bar. The base has expanded enormously, becoming critical to supporting U.S. and British combat efforts in the Horn of Africa and Middle East.

The fifth and final island chain could be considered to run from the Horn of Africa – where the U.S. and China now maintain significant military bases – down to the coast of South Africa. Little wonder the U.S. military has renamed its former Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command.

#Mer_de_Chine_méridionale

Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative : Who’s Claiming What ?

▻https://amti.csis.org/maps

Voici un site qui va énormément plaire en particulier à @simplicissimus

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/3p0bbc549idlbtc/Capture%20d%E2%80%99%C3%A9cran%202019-02-15%20%C3%A0%2009.22.14.png?dl=0 https://dl.dropbox.com/s/7yi3w55sbavjepy/Capture%20d%E2%80%99%C3%A9cran%202019-02-15%20%C3%A0%2009.22.38.png?dl=0

AMTI’s interactive maps strive to provide the most complete, accurate, and up-to-date source of geospatial information on maritime Asia. Click a map below to explore information on Asia’s maritime claims, disputed reefs and islets, and more.
South China Sea Features

#mer_de_chine_méridionale #frontières #différends_frontaliers #chine #vietnam #spratleys #conflits_frontaliers #mer #partage_de_la_mer

U.S. Navy ship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade talks with Beijing | Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-southchinasea-idUSKCN1P10DS

The USS McCampbell carried out a “#freedom_of_navigation” operation, sailing within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Island chain, “to challenge excessive maritime claims”, Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Rachel McMarr said in an emailed statement.

The operation was not about any one country or to make a political statement, McMarr said.

Une petite démonstration #FoN, pour bien démarrer l’année. Mais, attention, hein, on ne vise personne…

Le monde selon #Xi_Jinping

Depuis 2012, le désormais « président à vie » Xi Jinping a concentré tous les pouvoirs sur sa personne, avec l’obsession de faire de la #Chine la superpuissance du XXIe siècle. Plongée au coeur de son « rêve chinois ».

Derrière son apparente bonhomie se cache un chef redoutable, prêt à tout pour faire de la Chine la première puissance mondiale, d’ici au centenaire de la République populaire, en 2049. En mars dernier, à l’issue de vastes purges, Xi Jinping modifie la Constitution et s’intronise « président à vie ». Une concentration des pouvoirs sans précédent depuis la fin de l’ère maoïste. Né en 1953, ce fils d’un proche de Mao Zedong révoqué pour « complot antiparti » choisit à l’adolescence, en pleine tourmente de la Révolution culturelle, un exil volontaire à la campagne, comme pour racheter la déchéance paternelle. Revendiquant une fidélité aveugle au Parti, il gravira en apparatchik « plus rouge que rouge » tous les degrés du pouvoir.
Depuis son accession au secrétariat général du Parti en 2012, puis à la présidence l’année suivante, les autocritiques d’opposants ont réapparu, par le biais de confessions télévisées. Et on met à l’essai un système de surveillance généralisée censé faire le tri entre les bons et les mauvais citoyens. Inflexible sur le plan intérieur, Xi Jinping s’est donné comme objectif de supplanter l’Occident à la tête d’un nouvel ordre mondial. Son projet des « routes de la soie » a ainsi considérablement étendu le réseau des infrastructures chinoises à l’échelle planétaire. Cet expansionnisme stratégique, jusque-là développé en silence, inquiète de plus en plus l’Europe et les États-Unis.

Impériale revanche
Dans ce portrait très documenté du leader chinois, Sophie Lepault et Romain Franklin donnent un aperçu inédit de sa politique et montrent que l’itinéraire de Xi Jinping a façonné ses choix. De Pékin à Djibouti – l’ancienne colonie française est depuis 2017 la première base militaire chinoise à l’étranger – en passant par la mer de Chine méridionale et l’Australie, les réalisateurs passent au crible les projets et les stratégies d’influence du nouvel homme fort de la planète. Nourrie d’images d’archives et de témoignages (de nombreux experts et de dissidents, mais aussi d’un haut gradé proche du pouvoir), leur enquête montre comment Xi Jinping a donné à la reconquête nationaliste de la grandeur impériale chinoise, projet nourri dès l’origine par la République populaire, une spectaculaire ampleur.

►https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/078193-000-A/le-monde-selon-xi-jinping
#biographie #démocratie #trauma #traumatisme #Mao #révolution_culturelle #Terres_Jaunes #exil #Prince_Rouge #nationalisme #rêve_chinois #renaissance_nationale #histoire_nationale #totalitarisme #stabilité #idéologie #anti-corruption #lutte_contre_la_corruption #purge #dictature #investissements_à_l'étranger #prêts #dette #KUKA #ports #droits_humains #Australie #infiltration_chinoise #Nouvelle-Zélande #David_Cameron #Jean-Pierre_Raffarin #matières_premières #capitalisme_autoritaire #Ouïghours #arrestations #répression #censure #liberté_d'expression #défilés_militaires #armée #puissance_militaire #Mer_de_Chine_méridionale #îles_de_Spratleys #liberté_de_la_presse #prisonniers_politiques #Hong_Kong

#Djibouti #base_militaire (de Djibouti)

#Sri_Lanka —> Au Sri Lanka, le #port de #Hambantota est sous contrôle chinois, ceci pour au moins 99 ans (accord signé avec le Sri Lanka qui n’a pas pu rembourser le prêt que la Chine lui a accorder pour construire le port...)
#dépendance
v. aussi :
Comment la Chine a fait main basse sur le Sri Lanka
▻https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/comment-la-chine-fait-main-basse-sur-le-sri-lanka

Histoire semblable pour le #Port_du_Pirée à #Athènes, en #Grèce ou l’#aéroport de #Toulouse, en #France.

#Organisation_de_coopération_de_Shangaï :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/SCO_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg/langfr-280px-SCO_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg.png

Quelques cartes et images tirées du #film #documentaire.

La #nouvelle_route_de_la_soie et autres investissements chinois dans les infrastructures mondiales de #transport :

https://i.imgur.com/RdHTkIr.png

La #Chinafrique :

https://i.imgur.com/z5FF0Y8.png

Le programme de #surveillance_de_masse :

https://i.imgur.com/KFHsCX5.png https://i.imgur.com/BqCkvjD.png https://i.imgur.com/XjivLqo.png https://i.imgur.com/gIOi809.png https://i.imgur.com/UcYPBRM.png

Outre la surveillance, mise en place d’un programme appelé « #crédit_social » :

Le #Système_de_crédit_social est un projet du gouvernement chinois visant à mettre en place d’ici 2020 un système national de #réputation_des_citoyens. Chacun d’entre eux se voit attribuer une note, échelonnée entre 350 et 950 points, dite « crédit social », fondée sur les données dont dispose le gouvernement à propos de leur statut économique et social. Le système repose sur un outil de surveillance de masse et utilise les technologies d’analyse du #big_data. Il est également utilisé pour noter les entreprises opérant sur le marché chinois.

▻https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syst%C3%A8me_de_cr%C3%A9dit_social

Voici ce que cela donne :

https://i.imgur.com/AanHz3Q.png https://i.imgur.com/zKtoibG.png

ping @reka

Photos Show Confrontation Between USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy Warship in South China Sea – gCaptain
▻https://gcaptain.com/photos-show-confrontation-between-uss-decatur-and-chinese-navy-warship-in-

https://3kbo302xo3lg2i1rj8450xje-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/USS-Decatur-incident-768x456.jpg

gCaptain has just obtained photos showing a confrontation involving the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy warship in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend. 

The U.S. Navy confirmed the incident on Tuesday, accusing China’s navy of conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” that nearly led to a collision as the U.S. destroyer was underway “in the vicinity” of Gaven Reef in the #Spratly Islands on Sunday, September 30.

According to a Navy spokesman, during the incident, the Chinese warship “approached within 45 yards of Decatur’s bow, after which Decatur maneuvered to prevent a collision.”

As was reported over the weekend, the USS Decatur on Sunday conducted the U.S. Navy’s latest #freedom_of_navigation operation in the South China Sea, coming within 12 nautical miles of the Gaven and Johnson Reefs claimed by China.

China issued a statement Tuesday accusing the U.S. of violating its “indisputable sovereignty” over the #South_China_Sea islands. “We strongly urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistake and stop such provocative actions to avoid undermining China-U.S. relations and regional peace and stability,” a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday in a statement.

#Spratleys #mer_de_Chine_Méridionale

U.S. Was Right to Give China’s Navy the Boot - Bloomberg
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-08-02/u-s-was-right-to-give-china-s-navy-the-boot

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iEFN5mm9lT4k/v1/1200x800.jpg

By James Stavridis
[ex-SACEUR]

The vast annual military operation known as the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (simply #RIMPAC in Pentagon jargon) just concluded on the beaches of Southern California with a huge demonstration of an amphibious assault, which involves sending troops ashore from warships at sea — a highly complex maneuver whether D-Day or present day.

The exercise is held every two years all over the Pacific Basin, and is the largest international maritime exercise in the world. It is globally regarded by naval officers as the Olympic Games of naval power. Run by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which is headquartered in Pearl Harbor, it normally includes warships and troops from every branch of the U.S. armed forces, and those of than 20 foreign nations.
[…]
But this year, in a break with recent tradition, China was “disinvited” in May because of its militarization of a variety of artificial islands in the volatile #South_China_sea, where it is sending troops and setting up combat-aircraft, runways and missile systems. There was also a distinct undercurrent of opposition to China’s presence by the Donald Trump administration, which sensibly criticizes Beijing for trade practices and theft of intellectual property.

While I’ve repeatedly criticized Trump for his dealings with allies and foes, cutting Beijing “out of the pattern” this year was the right decision. It deprived China of not only the chance to observe and learn about allied naval practices, but also of the prestige of engaging with the top navies in the world. The increasing involvement of India — the obvious strategic counterweight to China — as well as this year’s addition of Vietnam — a growing naval actor deeply concerned about Chinese dominance in the South China Sea — sends a powerful signal.

#mer_de_Chine_méridionale

Le monde vu de Pékin : conflits frontaliers et revendications territoriales, 2003
►https://visionscarto.net/le-monde-vu-de-pekin-frontieres

Titre : Le monde vu de Pékin : conflits frontaliers et revendications territoriales, 2003 Mots-clés : #Chine #Pékin #Perception #Géopolitique #Représentation #Frontières #mer_de_chine_méridionale Auteur : Philippe Rekacewicz Date de création : 2003 Le monde vu de Pékin : conflits frontaliers et revendications territoriales (sécurisation des marges). 2003. Toutes les versions du « monde vu de Pékin » : 2003 - 2006 - 2009 - (...)

#Collection_cartographique

China holds missile drills in #South_China_Sea amid heightened tension | World | Reuters
▻https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1JB0C9

China’s navy carried out drills in the South China Sea to simulate fending off an aerial attack, state media said on Friday, as the country trades barbs with the United States over responsibility for heightened tension in the disputed waterway.
[…]
China’s navy carried out a simulated missile attack in an unspecified area of the South China Sea using three target drones making flyovers of a ship formation at varying heights, the official army newspaper said.

#mer_de_Chine_méridionale

Les îles militarisées en mer de Chine du Sud : la partie émergée de la puissance de frappe de Pékin

▻http://theconversation.com/les-iles-militarisees-en-mer-de-chine-du-sud-la-partie-emergee-de-l

https://images.theconversation.com/files/223166/original/file-20180614-32310-1j0g36c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip

En dépit d’un semblant de détente en Asie entre Donald Trump et Kim Jong‑un, la « guerre d’influence en mer de Chine entre Pékin et Washington ne va pas cesser quels que soient les développements sur le dossier nord-coréen » notait le correspondant du journal Le Monde Gilles Paris, envoyé spécial à Singapour, lors d’un live avec les lecteurs du quotidien.

#chine #océan_indien #thalassocratie #mer_de_chine_méridionale
Début juin, le sentiment était le même au sommet annuel du Shangri-La Dialogue à Singapour sur les enjeux de sécurité en Asie-Pacifique.

La ministre française des Armées, Florence Parly avait particulièrement rappelé l’urgence au respect du droit international en mer de Chine du Sud et que la zone était marquée par la compétition entre pays plus que par la coopération régionale qu’il convenait, selon elle, de soutenir.

Exclusive: U.S. warships sail near South China Sea islands claimed by Beijing | Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-warships-sail-near-south-china-sea-islands-claimed-by-beijing

https://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180528&t=2&i=1266708684&w=1200&r=LYNXNPEE4R05O#.jpg

Two U.S. Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China on Sunday, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in a move that drew condemnation from Beijing as President Donald Trump seeks its continued cooperation on North Korea.
[…]
The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Higgins guided-missile destroyer and the Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 12 nautical miles of the #Paracel_Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.

The U.S. military vessels carried out maneuvering operations near Tree, Lincoln, Triton and Woody islands in the Paracels, one of the officials said.

#mer_de_Chine_méridionale #Îles_Paracels
#FoN #Freedom_of_Navigation

USS Antietam, CG-54 (croiseur lance-missiles)
USS Higgins, DDG-76 (destroyer lance-missiles)

Bataille navale à distance en mer de Chine - Libération
▻http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2018/05/25/bataille-navale-a-distance-en-mer-de-chine_1653861

Mais cette fois, Washington a décidé de réagir par une mesure symbolique, en annonçant ce mercredi l’exclusion de la Chine du Rim of the Pacific (#RIMPAC), les plus importantes manœuvres maritimes mondiales, qui doivent avoir lieu à partir de la fin du mois de juin dans le Pacifique. « La poursuite par la Chine de la militarisation de possessions disputées dans la mer de Chine méridionale ne fait qu’attiser les tensions et déstabiliser la région », a déclaré le porte-parole du Pentagone, ajoutant que ce comportement n’était « pas compatible avec les principes et les objectifs de l’exercice RIMPAC ». Le timing de cette exclusion, annoncée le jour même de la visite du ministre des Affaires étrangères chinois à Washington tombe comme un camouflet pour Pékin.

#mer_de_Chine_méridionale #Spratleys
#manœuvres_navales

China Sends Military Plane to Third #South_China_Sea Airstrip - Bloomberg
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-10/china-deploys-military-plane-to-third-south-china-sea-airstrip

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iBZRfPA96qEQ/v1/800x-1.jpg

China has landed a military plane on the last of its three airstrips in the disputed South China Sea, a Washington-based research institution said, amid renewed complaints about the country expanding its military presence in the busy shipping lane.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said satellite images from April 28 showed the first confirmed deployment of a military aircraft — a Shaanxi Y-8 transport plane — on #Subi_Reef. The structure hosts one of three runways China has built as part of a massive dredging and reclamation operation in the Spratlys chain since 2013, and was the last of three where military aircraft had been observed.

“This should be particularly concerning to the Philippines,” AMTI, a unit of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on its website. About 100 Philippine civilians and a small military garrison are stationed on the Thitu islet, about 12 nautical miles away from Subi.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it wasn’t aware of situation described by AMTI. “China’s peaceful construction activities on the #Spratly_Islands, including the deployment of necessary homeland defense facilities, is necessary to protect sovereignty and national security,” the ministry said in an emailed response to questions. “It is an absolute right a sovereign country enjoys and it doesn’t target any country.”

#Spratleys #Mer_de_Chine_méridionale

China installs cruise missiles on South China Sea outposts: CNBC | Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-missiles/china-installs-cruise-missiles-on-south-china-sea-outposts-cnbc-report-idUS

https://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180503&t=2&i=1258002327&w=1200&r=LYNXMPEE420EL#.jpg

China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, U.S. news network CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports.

The installations, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly Islands, where several Asian countries including Vietnam and Taiwan have rival claims.

China has made no mention of any missile deployments but says its military facilities in the #Spratlys are purely defensive, and that it can do what it likes on its own territory.
[…]
CNBC quoted unnamed sources as saying that according to U.S. intelligence assessments, the missiles were moved to Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef within the past 30 days.

#mer_de_Chine_méridionale
#Spratleys

Vietnam halts South China Sea oil drilling project under pressure from Beijing
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-vietnam/vietnam-scraps-south-china-sea-oil-drilling-project-under-pressure-from-bei

http://www.1derrick.com/uploads/post/talisman-hits-additional-pay-at-crd-discovery-off-vietnam.png

Vietnam has halted an oil drilling project in the “Red Emperor” block off its southeastern coast licensed to Spanish energy firm #Repsol following pressure from China, three sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Friday.

It would be the second time in less than a year that Vietnam has had to suspend a major oil development in the busy #South_China_Sea waterway under pressure from China.
[…]
#Red_Emperor, known in Vietnamese as the #Ca_Rong_Do field, is part of Block 07/03 in the #Nam_Con_Son basin, 440 km (273 miles) off the coast of Vietnam’s southern city of Vung Tau.

The $1-billion field of moderate size by international standards is seen as a key asset to help slow the decline of Vietnam’s stalling oil and gas production.

But the block lies near the U-shaped “#nine-dash_line ” that marks the vast area that China claims in the sea and overlaps what it says are its own oil concessions.

Located in waters around 350 metres (1,148 ft) deep, it is considered to be profitable from around $60 per barrel. Current Brent crude oil prices are almost $70 per barrel.

On est très très bas, dans la #mer_de_Chine_méridionale, mais trop proche de la #ligne_en_neuf_traits …

https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Wood-Group-bags-FEED-contract-from-Talisman-Vietnam-622x452.jpg

▻https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligne_en_neuf_traits
#langue_de_bœuf #Đường_lưỡi_bò

#Cá_Rồng_Đỏ
cf. ▻https://seenthis.net/messages/617802 (avec autre carte)

Exclusive: U.S. Warship Sails Near Disputed South China Sea Island, Officials Say - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/03/23/world/asia/23reuters-usa-china-southchinasea.html

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/180314-N-ZL062-0055.jpg

A U.S. Navy destroyer carried out a “#freedom_of_navigation ” operation on Friday, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials told Reuters.

The operation, which infuriated Beijing, was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as China’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer _Mustin traveled close to #Mischief_Reef in the #Spratly Islands and carried out maneuvering operations. China has territorial disputes with its neighbors over the area.

#Mer_de_Chine_Méridionale
#Spratleys
#FoN

Suspected Chinese #Cyber_Espionage Group Observed Targeting U.S. Maritime Industry – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/suspected-chinese-cyber-espionage-group-observed-targeting-u-s-maritime-in

#FireEye, a leading cybersecurity company, released new research on Friday shedding light on activity from suspected Chinese cyber espionage group, dubbed #TEMP.Periscope, targeting U.S. engineering and maritime industries.

Since at least early 2018, FireEye has observed an ongoing wave of intrusions suspected to be from TEMP.Periscope, the company said. These intrusions have primarily targeted engineering and maritime entities, especially those connected to #South_China_Sea issues.

TEMP.Periscope, which has been active since at least 2013, has primarily focused on maritime-related targets across multiple verticals including engineering firms, shipping and transportation, manufacturing, defense, government offices, and research universities.

Identified victims were mostly found in the United States, although organizations in Europe and at least one in Hong Kong have also been affected.

According to FireEye, TEMP.Periscope had gone quiet just like many other Chinese groups after the Obama-Xi agreement in late 2015. However, the group was observed resurfacing in the summer of 2017, and it has been particularly active since this past February.

“The organizations targeted by TEMP.Periscope have a connection to the ongoing disputes in the South China Sea,” said Fred Plan, Senior Analyst at FireEye. “They or their customers are involved in military and defense, or the shipping business, or they are developing technologies that would be advantageous to the defense industry or governments in the region. Because of the group’s tendency to target engineering organizations we believe the group is seeking technical data that can help inform strategic decision-making. Hypothetically, this could be used to answer questions like ‘what is the range and effectiveness of this marine radar system?’ or ‘how precisely can a system detect and identify activities at sea?’”

#Mer_de_Chine_méridionale

China says U.S. warship violated its South China Sea sovereignty
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-us-sovereignty/china-accuses-u-s-warship-of-violating-its-sovereignty-idUSKBN1F9088

A U.S. Navy destroyer this week sailed near the #Scarborough_Shoal, a disputed lagoon claimed by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said on Saturday, and Beijing vowed to take “necessary measures” to protect what it said was its sovereignty.

China’s foreign ministry said USS Hopper missile destroyer came within 12 nautical miles off #Huangyan_island, better known as the Scarborough Shoal and subject to a rival claim by the Philippines, a historic ally of the United States.

Et donc, les marronniers :
#Mer_de_Chine_méridionale
#freedom_of_navigation #FoN
#innocent_passage #passage_inoffensif
et tout le toutim…

« Si la liberté de navigation est bafouée en mer de Chine, elle le sera partout »
▻http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2017/10/31/si-la-liberte-de-navigation-est-bafouee-en-mer-de-chine-elle-le-sera-partout

http://img.lemde.fr/2015/05/11/248/0/3500/1750/644/322/60/0/07d93fe_2015-05-11T121858Z_01_EDC802_RTRIDSP_3_SOUTHCHINASEA-PHILIPPINES.jpg

Le droit de la mer est remis en question par les politiques du fait accompli, selon l’amiral Denis Bertrand, commandant de la zone maritime Pacifique et des forces armées en Polynésie française.

La frégate Auvergne vient d’effectuer une mission de huit jours en mer de Chine du Sud, passant par les îles Spratleys, mais également, ce qui est plus nouveau pour la marine française, à proximité des îles Paracel, qui sont aussi revendiquées par la Chine. Pourquoi cette navigation ?
L’importance de cette navigation dans la région est illustrée dans la revue stratégique de la défense nationale qui vient d’être adoptée par le président de la République : elle souligne l’affirmation de la puissance chinoise, son influence régionale, et le développement considérable de ses capacités militaires. Nous avons un point de préoccupation, qu’a rappelé la ministre des armées en juin au Shangri-La Dialogue [le grand rendez-vous des ministres de la défense de la zone Asie-Pacifique] : la défense d’un ordre international fondé sur le droit. Cela vaut pour la piraterie, la prolifération avec la Corée du Nord, les pêches illégales, ou les entraves à la liberté de navigation. L’application de la Convention des Nations unies sur le droit de la mer est remise en question par les politiques du fait accompli.

Pour conserver son autonomie stratégique, la France doit préserver sa capacité d’appréciation de la situation. Il nous faut entretenir nos connaissances sur l’évolution des équilibres internationaux et régionaux, les comportements des uns et des autres. Depuis fin 2014, plus d’une dizaine de bateaux français ont ainsi transité dans la région, là où le droit de la mer nous y autorise, y compris dans ces zones contestées. Avec trois mots-clés : lisibilité, constance, équilibre.

Quel est le bilan de ces transits ?
Quand on navigue dans de telles zones, on apprend énormément des réactions, comme de l’absence de réactions observée. Nos transits nous montrent que la Chine a des réactions de plus en plus professionnelles, qu’elle est attentive à ce qu’il se…

#paywall

La France se met aussi aux mission #FoN #Freedom_of_Navigation

Exclusive: U.S. warship sails near islands Beijing claims in South China Sea - U.S. officials
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-warship-sails-near-disputed-island-in-south-china-sea-u-s-off

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3811/18678758313_da9d876d1e.jpg

L’illustration de Reuters, plus ancienne, est ainsi légendée :
USS Chafee, a US Navy destroyer which operates 100 percent on biofuel, sails about 150 miles (241 km) north of the island of Oahu during the RIMPAC Naval exercises off Hawaii July 18,2012.
Nous sommes donc en présence d’un vrai #destroyer_bio…

A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, three U.S. officials told Reuters, prompting anger in Beijing, even as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks Chinese cooperation in reining in North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. But it was not as provocative as previous ones carried out since Trump took office in January.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Chafee, a guided-missile destroyer, carried out normal maneuvering operations that challenged “excessive maritime claims” near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
[…]
Unlike in August, when a U.S. Navy destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, officials said the destroyer on Tuesday sailed close to but not within that range of the islands.

#Mer_de_Chine_méridionale #Paracels

Pour mémoire, le précédent d’août était accompli par l’USS John S McCain, de la même classe Arleigh-Burke, dont il a été depuis abondamment question par ailleurs…

Philippines Promises Vietnam a Full Investigation Into Fishermen’s Deaths - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/world/asia/philippines-vietnamese-fishermen.html

The Bolinao police said in a report that the Vietnamese boat was one of six that had been spotted in the area, allegedly violating international law by fishing in the Philippines’s so-called exclusive economic zone. A navy boat with Bolinao police and coast guard personnel aboard approached, and the closest vessel turned off its light and sped away, prompting a chase, according to the report.

It said the fishing boat disregarded repeated calls to stop and “made dangerous maneuvers.” Navy personnel fired warning shots, but the boat continued to flee, at which point warning shots were fired “toward the vessel,” the report said.

The boats then collided, according to the report. The Vietnamese boat sped away but stopped after several minutes. The Philippine team boarded and found two bodies on the deck. There were six bullet holes in the boat, the report said, and the Vietnamese were later determined to have died from gunshot wounds.

#Mer_de_Chine_Méridionale
Ça c’est du #coup_de_semonce #à_la_Duterte …