Add your comment by filling out the form below in plain text. Comments are approved by a moderator and can be edited in accordance with RFAs Terms of Use. Comments will not appear in real time. RFA is not responsible for the content of the postings. Please, be respectful of others' point of view and stick to the facts.
<<<China is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the SEA (UNCLOS). But Beijing insists that the tribunal lacks jurisdiction in the case and has signaled that it won’t be bound by any decision that it makes.>>>
A big bully doesn't want to play by the rule it doesn't like. So the bully not only dictates the playground it also dictates the tribunal court. Show examples when the tribunal has jurisdiction over the case if this is not the one.
Jun 19, 2016 11:38 AM
Reply to this commentThese mainland Chinese fishing boats have sometimes been very aggressive, such as an instance when one rammed a Japanese coast guard vessel with its siren on that was warning the Chinese vessel against trespassing on Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku Islets region.
Jun 18, 2016 09:25 PM
Reply to this commentProfessor Andrew S. Erickson of the U.S. Naval War College labels China's militia masquerading as fishermen "little blue men," echoing Russia's use of its special forces masquerading as volunteers or locals labeled as "little green men."
Jun 17, 2016 07:24 PM
Reply to this comment
There's no doubt that all claimant nations in the contested waters are using their fishermen as sentinels. I have also seen this first hand off Vietnam's Central Coast on Ly Son Island. The fishing wars are real but not a recent development. However, the Chinese have over 100,000 fishing trawlers and many of them are steel hulled. They do ram and sink Vietnam's traditional wooden boats.
James Borton edited The South China Sea: Challenges and Promises.
Jul 09, 2016 06:50 PM
Reply to this comment