By Ben Kerrigan-
A war on water is looming over the Chinese Sea, the foreign minister of Beijing has warned.
An increasingly tense situation over the South China Sea poses a real threat of direct confrontation, with the police, military and members of th e public asked to be ready to defend the country’s territorial integrity.
Chang Wanquan emphasised the readiness of Beijing to defend it’s territorial integrity and mobilise it’s 2.3 million strong people’s liberation army to fight for its right innate event of outright violations of its territorial rules.
The stern warning comes amid last months Hague ruling which overruled China’s territorial claim in the region, claiming there is no legal basis under the U.N Convention of the law of the Sea.
This ruling was disregarded by the Chinese Supreme Court which issued a judicial interpretation, stipulating a legal basis for China to safeguard maritime safety and interests.
The situation has become.more tense because U.S Navy has dispatched warships and military planes to th e immediate proximity of the disputed islands, claiming the freedom of navigation in international waters as the basis of its actions.
Beijing has heavily criticised the naval displays as provocative, and enhanced installations of anti ship.missiles and air defense complexes on the islands.
The situation threatens to escalate put of control if not properly addressed soon. Global tensions have recently increased recently, especially with North Korean and the U.S recently launching ballistic missiles, with Russia expressing deep concerns, they themselves working their own nuclear programmes.
Things could turn nasty unless some of these leaders take a mature and sensible approach to cool the tension down, though this may mean someone compromising and backtracking on their plans. At the moment, there are jobs signs of any backtrack in sight.
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