To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (93235 ) 8/9/2012 8:14:07 AM From: TobagoJack Respond to Good news in south china sea, as team USA is obligated to defend republic of china by existing treaty obligation ...In accordance with a Legislative Yuan resolution Taiwan’s military will deploy 120 mm mortars and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns on Taiping Island in the South China Sea to support a coast guard task force already stationed there, the official Central News Agency reports. Taipei is still deciding whether to extend the island’s landing strip by 500m to improve safety and allow P-3C marine patrol aircraft to land there. The current runway, completed in 2008, is 1150m long and 30m wide and is used for C-130 transport planes. Hanoi said Taipei’s deployments on Taiping violate Vietnam’s sovereignty and international laws, the Taipei Times r eports. Despite Hanoi and Manila’s objections, China has formally unveiled the Sansha Municipal Government and the Sansha CPC Municipal Committee to administer and defend its maritime claims in the South China Sea. In response, Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs summoned China’s Ambassador to lodge an official protest and Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the official Vietnam News Agency that “China’s establishment of the so-called Sansha city has seriously violated international law and Vietnam’s sovereignty. Vietnam resolutely opposes China’s activities and requests China respect its sovereignty, immediately stop and cancel its wrongful activities.” The official China Daily reports that Sansha will become a “base to safeguard China’s sovereignty” and announced that tourism, fishing and petroleum exploration will be its “three economic engines for the development.” Now under Hainan, Sansha city is located on 2.13-square km Yongxing Island in the Paracel Island chain.
