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Congressman Faleomavaega, who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, announced today that he worked closely with Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee Chairman Don Manzullo to author and introduce H. Res. 352., which calls for a peaceful and collaborative resolution to maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea and other maritime areas adjacent to the East Asian mainland. H. Res. 352 was introduced on July 15, 2011.
“I especially thank the Chairman Ros-Lehtinen of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for agreeing to my request to introduce and move this legislation forward,” Faleomavaega said. “The Chairman’s leadership on this issue sends a strong signal that the U.S. stands with our friends and allies in the region, and that we will not turn a blind eye to China’s aggression in the South China Sea.”
“The South China Sea contains vital commercial shipping lanes and points of access between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and provides a maritime lifeline to Taiwan, Japan and the Korean peninsula. While China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have disputed territorial claims, China claims most of the 648,000 square miles of the South China Sea, more than any other nation involved in these disputes. China’s claims are so outrageous, for example, that if enacted, Vietnam would become a landlocked country, and this is neither right nor fair.”
“In 2002, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Regrettably, this year, China cut the cables of a Vietnam ship in waters near Cam Ranh Bay and ran into and disabled the cables of anther Vietnamese ship, the Viking 2. China also used guns to threaten the crews of four Vietnamese fishing boats and fired shots at three fishing boats from the Philippines. China also attempted to ram a Philippines surveillance ship.”
“Viet Nam issued a statement stating that it is ‘resolutely opposed to these acts by China that seriously violated the sovereign and jurisdiction rights of Viet Nam to its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, running counter to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and going against the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea signed between ASEAN and China in 2002. Viet Nam demands that China immediately cease and refrain from repeating those acts and calls for addressing related disputes through peaceful measures.’”
“Philippines Foreign Secretary del Rosario stated that the Philippines is a small country, but is ‘prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard.’”
“Although not a party to these disputes, the United States has a national economic and security interest in ensuring that no party uses force unilaterally to assert maritime territorial claims in East Asia, including in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, or the Yellow Sea.”
“We also have a moral responsibility to do what is right. This is why I am speaking out and voicing my concerns about a remark made by Chinese Major General Peng Guang Qian on June 25, 2011 in which he stated that ‘China once taught Vietnam a lesson. If Vietnam is not sincere, it will receive a bigger lesson’ and ‘if Vietnam continues to act tough, play with the knife, sooner or later it will get cut.’”
“In my opinion, China’s Major General owes Vietnam an apology. Remarks like this are offensive, inflammatory, and uncalled for, and the China I know is better than this. On June 22, 2011, in reference to the South China Sea dispute, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister told reporters that ‘I believe the individual countries are actually playing with fire, and I hope the fire will not be drawn to the United States.’”
“I, too, hope the fire will not be drawn to the United States because when it comes to U.S.-China relations, I stand on a record of being fair. But I will not stand for aggression in the South China Sea, and neither will my colleagues. So I hope that China will tone down its rhetoric and get serious about resolving this dispute in a manner that is becoming of its status as a world power and in a way that is peaceful, collaborative and fair. I also call upon all parties to refrain from force or the threat of force,” Faleomavaega concluded.
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