彭斯副总统：南中国海不属于任何一个国家

choi

VOA Chinese, Nov 16, 2018.
https://www.voachinese.com/a/pen ... 181116/4661243.html

Note: The background of Pences remark, though neither Reuters (nor AP nor Voice of America) reports this.
(a) Raul Dancel. Duterte says China 'Already in Possession' of South China Sea, Tells US to End Military Drills. Strait Times, Nov 15, 2018 (online: 5:16 PM SGT (for "Singapore Time")).
https://www.straitstimes.com/asi ... -us-to-end-military

Quote:

" 'China is already in possession (of the South China Sea). It's now in their hands. So why do you have to create frictions… that will prompt a response from China?' Mr Duterte told reporters ['on Thursday (Nov 15)'] on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Singapore.  'China is there,' he added. 'That's a reality, and America and everybody should realise that they are there.'

"He said should war erupt in the South China Sea, 'my country will be the first to suffer.' He pointed out that the Philippines has a mutual defence treaty with the US.

"Mr Duterte said conflicts over the South China Sea could best be settled through talks between China and Asean, without the US and its allies turning up the heat through displays of force as 'freedom of navigation exercises [this is what the title (drill) means].'  'Everything's been excellent between China and the rest of Asean, except for the fact that there's friction between Western nations and China,' he told reporters.  He cited, in particular, a long, drawn-out process to negotiate a "code of conduct" that Asean and China hope to conclude in three years.  The code was 'needed at all cost,' he said.

(b) In response (it is said), Pence in a tweet (today, Nov 16; while in Singapore): "The South China Sea doesn't belong to any one nation, and you can be sure the United States will continue to sail and fly wherever international law allows and our national interests demand."
https://twitter.com/vp?lang=en

choi

(1) Vice President Mike Pence is in a trip to Asia: Japan, Singapore and Papua New Guinea (in that order) -- in Singapore to attend ASEAN and in PNG for APEC.

(2) Josh Rogin, Pence: It's up to China to Avoid a Cold War. Washington Post, Nov 13, 2018 (interview).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/n ... o-avoid-a-cold-war/

Quote:

"ABOARD AIR FORCE TWO, ABOVE THE SOUTH CHINA SEA [from Tokyo to Singapore]

"If China wants to avoid an all-out cold war with the United States and its partners, it must fundamentally change its behavior, according to Vice President Pence. The United States, he assured me, won’t back down.

"As Pence arrived Tuesday [Nov 13] in Singapore to represent the United States at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, the question on the minds of all the region's leaders is whether Washington and Beijing are headed into a protracted, long-term economic and strategic confrontation. Pence and Xi will both attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit in Papua New Guinea later this week, but they won’t meet. Xi is set to meet Trump in Buenos Aires at the upcoming Group of 20 meeting, which starts on Nov 30.

"If Beijing doesn’t come up with significant and concrete concessions, the United States is prepared to escalate economic, diplomatic and political pressure on China, Pence said. He believes the U.S. economy is strong enough to weather such an escalation while the Chinese economy is less durable.

"Pence said at a Tokyo news conference[:] 'Authoritarianism and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific. And I know this vision is shared by the United States and Japan.'

"The trip itself is meant to show the United States has no intention of ceding influence or control over the region to Beijing. On the way from Tokyo to Singapore, Pence's plane crossed the South China Sea only 50 miles or so from the Spratly Islands, where China has erected military facilities on artificial islands in violation of its international commitments.  Pence told me the flight was something of a 'freedom of navigation' mission in and of itself. 'We will not be intimidated,' he said. 'We will not stand down. We will continue to exercise freedom of navigation.'  I asked him what would happen if Beijing doesn't agree to act in Asia in a way that can avoid a cold war with the United States.  'Then so be it,' Pence said. 'We are here to stay.'

Note: There is no transcript in the White House website.

(3) Prepared Remarks for Vice President Pence at the East Asia Summit Plenary Session. White House, Nov 15, 2018 (held at "Suntec Convention Centre, Suntec City, Singapore")
https://www.whitehouse.gov/brief ... it-plenary-session/

Quote:

"We hold that empire and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific, and that progress is built on a foundation of independence and partnership. Our vision excludes no nation, requiring only that they treat their neighbors with respect.

"we will defend freedom of the seas and skies. This is especially important in the South China Sea.  Let me be clear: China's militarization and territorial expansion in the South China Sea is illegal and dangerous. It threatens the sovereignty of many nations and endangers the prosperity of the world.  As I said during our summit with ASEAN today, it's time to adopt a meaningful and binding Code of Conduct for the South China Sea – one that protects the freedoms of navigation and overflight, resource exploration and development, and nations’ ability to establish partnerships of choice, as well as respects the rights of third parties.

"The United States seeks a relationship with China that is based on fairness, reciprocity, and respect for sovereignty. We have documented the difficulties that the United States and other nations face with China, and China knows where we stand.

Note: Suntec City  新达城
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntec_City
(opened in 1997; Suntec City office towers comprise five buildings across Towers One to Five with four 45-storey and one 18-storey tower [apparently not for residence])

captop pf photo 1: "Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the towers in the background [let upper corner of the photo]

caption of another photo: "The five towers of Suntec City are built around a fountain named the Fountain of Wealth 财富之泉