Free Republic

KEY POINTS USS America is steaming into the disputed waters where a Chinese survey ship is operating The U.S. had previously demanded that China stop its "bullying behavior" China has increase maritime activities in disputed waters amid coronavirus pandemic

As the eyes of the world are on the Expo in Shanghai, tensions are rising in the seas between Japan and China. Last month, Chinese warships and submarines were spotted near Okinawa. There was also an incident involving Chinese navy helicopters flying dangerously close to Japanese ships. The most recent incident, involving an aggressive Chinese ship forcing the cancellation of a Japanese marine survey, has been called a violation of Japan’s sovereign rights by the Japanese government: The latest incident occurred on Monday afternoon in the East China Sea, about 320 kilometers northwest of Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture. A...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2009 – Five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered close to the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea yesterday, a senior Pentagon official said today. The U.S. oceanographic ship was 70 miles south of Hainan Island conducting routine operations in international waters when the ships approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. “We view these as unprofessional maneuvers by the Chinese vessels and violations under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean,” Whitman said. A civilian crew mans the ship, which operates under the auspices...

Stakes Rise in Japan-S. Korea Island Flap By JOSEPH COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago Japan defied South Korean protests Wednesday and dispatched two ships to begin a maritime survey near disputed islets between the two nations, raising the stakes in the territorial standoff. South Korea earlier had dispatched a flotilla of patrol boats to guard the territory, held by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo. Two Japanese survey vessels left Sakaiminato on Wednesday, headed for the islands, said Yuzuru Kubota, a coast guard official in the port city on Japan's west coast. But he said the ships...