China must prepare for ‘war at sea’, Chinese defense chief warns

Asia-Pacific, News August 3, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

Chinese defense minister urges countrymen to prepare for possible ‘war on water’ as the tensed situation of South China Sea poses the threat of a direct confrontation

China’s defence minister has urged preparations for a “people’s war at sea” to counter offshore security threats and safeguard country’s sovereignty, Chinese state media reported.

The Chinese defense minister has warned the tense situation in the South China Sea poses the threat of a direct confrontation and has called on the military, police and general population to be ready to defend the country’s territorial integrity.

Chang Wanquan made the statement while inspecting military installations in China’s eastern coastal Zhejiang Province, state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving the timing of the comments.

Chang, who was speaking during an inspection in coastal Zhejiang province, “called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea.”

The military, police and public should prepare for mobilization to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he was quoted as saying.

Beijing announced last week that it would hold joint naval drills in the waters with Russia in September. China’s Defense Ministry called the drills “routine,” saying they were not directed at any third party.

Chang Wanquan’s comments came several weeks after an international tribunal dismissed the country’s claim to most of the South China Sea, a judgement it angrily rejected.

Chang’s statement comes amid unprecedented tensions over the disputed islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been building airstrips and military installations on reclaimed reefs and islands in waters, ignoring competing claims in the region by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as the Philippines.

Last month, a United Nations-backed court in The Hague ruled that China had no claim to the waters in the South China Sea, including a 200-mile economic zone in the Spratly Islands.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Beijing’s territorial claims in the region have “no legal basis.“

An estimated $5 trillion in global trade passes each year through the South China Sea, which is home to rich fishing grounds and a potentially vast wealth of oil, gas and other natural resources.