East seas

The Hanoitimes - Submitting three diplomatic notes to the UN within 10 days is considered Hanoi's strong move. Related parties in the South China Sea must comply with international law, especially the United Nations Convention of the Law on the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has stated as China stirred tensions in disputed waters. Spokesperson of the Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: MOFA The compliance with international law shows the commitment to advancement of the friendship among countries for peace, stability, and cooperation in the South China Sea, region and the world, the MOFA's Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said. Vietnam sincerely wishes that the nations’ legitimate rights are in line with UNCLOS, Hang said on April 21 in response to reporters' question on recent developments in waters of several ASEAN countries in the South China Sea, which is known as the East Sea in Vietnam. … [Read more...] about Related parties in South China Sea must abide by int’l law, Hanoi says

DILI — The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor will put its capital city on a coronavirus lockdown for the first time, its government said on Monday, amid fears it could be facing its first local outbreak. A “sanitary fence and mandatory confinement” will be imposed in Dili for seven days from midnight Monday with residents asked to stay home unless necessary to leave, the country’s council of ministers said in statement. It said the measure was because of a “high probability of community transmission”, but did not elaborate. “It is forbidden to travel, by land, sea or air, out of this municipality, except in duly justified cases for reasons of safety, public health, humanitarian or other that are necessary for the accomplishment of the public interest,” it said. A former Portuguese colony with a population of 1.2 million, East Timor has detected just 122 cases of the coronavirus, most of which were imported. But its porous border with Indonesia, which has recorded … [Read more...] about East Timor imposes first coronavirus lockdown over outbreak fears

TAIPEI - China is holding a month of military exercises in a contested sea to show Western powers they can’t control the sensitive waterway and that other Asian maritime claimants should avoid relying on U.S. help in the sovereignty dispute, analysts in the region say. The Maritime Safety Administration in Beijing announced last month that the exercises would run from March 1-31 in the South China Sea. They will take place in a “circular zone” with a radius of five kilometers west of China’s Leizhou Peninsula between Hong Kong and Vietnam, the administration said on its website. China’s unusually long-lasting exercises answer 10 “Freedom of Navigation Operations” passages of U.S. naval ships through the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea last year and one last month, experts believe. They say Chinese officials feel extra urgency because France, the United Kingdom and possibly other Western allies are sending ships too. Western governments make no claims to the sea itself but worry … [Read more...] about China’s Month of Military Exercises Answers Growing Naval Pressure from West

At the event, held via video link on the margins of the Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress, Wang stated China and ASEAN countries need to remove distractions and press ahead with consultations for a code of conduct (COC) in the East Sea (South China Sea), and work toward the early conclusion of a set of regional rules that are more substantive and effective, consistent with international law and serve the needs of all parties. He added the sides should continue the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the waters (DOC) in order to build consensus, enhance mutual trust, advance cooperation, and maintain overall stability in the sea. The official also said China will scale up support to the bloc’s pandemic response, noting that it is now providing COVID-19 vaccines for ASEAN countries and helping Indonesia to become a hub of vaccine production in Southeast Asia. Concerning the Myanmar issue, Wang underscored on the … [Read more...] about China willing to strengthen ties with ASEAN: Chinese FM

Living near the ocean is a dream for many people. But in recent years, the effects of climate change have made it a dicey proposition. Hurricanes have become more intense , leading to bigger storm surges and heavier rainfall that pound coastlines, erode beaches, and destroy homes. That storm threat has been compounded by so-called nuisance flooding that occurs during high tides, even during calm weather and clear skies. A new study shows that nuisance flooding is exacerbated by dredging and the construction of piers and jetties that were intended to make coastal living easier but are in fact redirecting the flow of incoming ocean water and making high tides higher than ever before. Published Friday in the journal Science Advances , the study compared high and low tide ranges measured during the past 70 years with an older database of historic tidal measurements made in the mid-1800s and recently found in stacks of old boxes stored in an annex of the National Archives in … [Read more...] about The Tide Is High–and Getting Higher