February 3:
The Philippines and Vietnam, two of the most vocal critics of China’s claims in the South China Sea, are considering a new strategic partnership. Both sides will increase high-level contact between the two militaries through joint naval patrols, training and exercises, Straits Times reports. Last week Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks on common concerns regarding the South China Sea issue. In December, Vietnam supported the Philippines in its arbitration case against China at the United Nations tribunal in The Hague. China has refused to participate. The Philippines already has strategic partnerships with the U.S. and Japan.
February 4:
The Norwegian Police Security Service presented its open threat assessment for 2015, which for the first time stressed Chinese and Russian intelligence activity in Norway,NRK reports. Among other things the spies are looking for information on NATO military capacities and strategy. Intelligence officers operate under cover as diplomats, journalists, businessmen, or tourists. “Today, Norwegian consultancy firms can keep their customer lists secret and in that way potentially conceal other states’ interests. It cannot be taken for granted that Norwegian or foreign consultancy firms know who their customers really are, or what the actual purpose behind a job is,” the threat assessment states. China’s Embassy responded: “We were shocked by these irresponsible remarks that show a strong Cold War mentality. The accusations against China are completely unfounded.”
Chinese military authorities have ordered servicemen to “sharpen risk awareness, and to stay prepared for combat at any time.” The Central Military Commission (CMC) issued guidelines that also call on the army to guard against infiltration and espionage by “hostile forces,” the official PLA Daily reports. It stressed the need to run political background checks on officers and soldiers to “prevent penetration, sabotage by hostile forces or erosion by corrupt ideas and cultures.” The CMC also called for political and ideological education, and building grassroots Communist Party organizations within the PLA. It further “ordered tighter management over mobile phones and the Internet, forbidding personnel from blogging, online chatting or job hunting in an official capacity.”
February 5:
The Philippines has lodged two official protests with China’s embassy in Manila regarding two incidents off the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last month,the Bangkok Post reports. Manila said that on January 29 three Philippines fishing vessels were “intentionally rammed” and damaged by a Chinese Coast Guard Vessel. The Philippines also protested Chinese fishermen illegally harvesting endangered giant clams in a lagoon of the shoal on January 22. Philippine officials insisted the shoal – disputed between China and the Philippines – is within Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone as defined by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
February 6:
China and Thailand will strengthen military ties through expanded joint training, technology sharing, and discounted arms sales, the Bangkok Post reports. During a two-day trip to Bangkok, China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquan said Beijing will not “interfere” with Thailand’s military regime and proposed expanding Blue Strike, the joint China-Thailand military exercise begun in 2010, and adding new air force exercises. He also pledged to boost bilateral defense cooperation in research and technology and offered special prices for submarines, tanks and other weapons. China also is supporting Thailand’s border-region economic zones linking the country with Laos, Vietnam and China.
[Editor’s Note: Washington, which has suspended military aid to Bangkok and cancelled a joint exercise after the May 22 coup, continues to pressure the Thai military to restore elections and democracy. Last month, visiting U.S. assistant secretary of State Daniel Russel called for the lifting of martial law and criticized the impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Washington said it would not fully reactivate its military alliance with Thailand until the junta restores “both of the institutions of governance and justice as well as the full restoration of a duly democratically elected civilian government.” This week the U.S., Thailand and five other countries begin a scaled-down Cobra Gold multinational exercise in Thailand.]