Spratly Islands a flashpoint for which U.S. must prepare for

Spratly Islands A Potential Flashpoint

The Spratly Islands are fast becoming a potential flashpoint that the U.S. should consider helping Southeast Asian nations against China's aggression, Sen. John McCain said in Washington.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Sen. McCain said the U.S. should help the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to "build up their maritime and detection capabilities to develop and deploy basic systems such as early-warning radar and coastal security vessels."

A collection of a few islands, atolls, reefs, sand banks and rocky outcroppings, the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are suspected to have huge deposits of natural gas and oil. China has claimed the whole area as part of its territory, while other claimants such as Vietnam and the Philippines claim portions of the Spratlys.

During the past month, relations between China and the two countries have worsened with Vietnam accusing China of sending ships to harass a survey vessel. The Philippines meanwhile filed a diplomatic protest over alleged incursions by China into territories of the Spratly Islands close to its western island of Palawan.

China has downplayed its actions and reiterated its claim over all the Spratly Islands based on historical records. It released a statement saying that it is committed to resolving the Spratlys dispute through peaceful means.

But Vietnam and the Philippines are clearly not convinced and has sought to seek support from the U.S. and the international community to condemn China's recent aggressive actions.

Sen. McCain called on U.S. President Barack Obama to clarify the U.S. position on the Spratly Islands issue since "the events now unfolding in the South China Sea" will play a decisive role in shaping the development of the Asia-Pacific region in this century."

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Thursday June 23 2011, 4:26 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0