SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010
KLMNO by John Pomfret The Chinese military declared
Friday that China had “indisput- able sovereignty” over the South China Sea but insisted it would continue to allow others to freely navigate one of the busiest water- ways in the world. The statement by the People’s
Liberation Army seemed de- signed to reiterate China’s claims to the entire 1.3 million-square- mile waterway while calming con-
cerns in Washington and Asian capitals that its policy toward the region had suddenly become sig- nificantly more aggressive. “China has indisputable sover-
eignty of the South Sea, and China has sufficient historical and legal backing” to support its claims, Senior Col. Geng Yansheng, a Ministry of Defense spokesman, told reporters Friday during a vis- it to an engineering unit on the outskirts of Beijing. But he added, “We will, in ac- cordance with the demands of
international law, respect the freedom of the passage of ships or aircraft from relevant countries.” Geng’s remarks were in reac- tion to a push last week by the United States, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries tochal- lenge China’s claims to the whole sea. In Hanoi on July 23, Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a regional security forum that it was in the United States’ “na- tional interest” that freedom of navigation be maintained in the
sea. Clinton also challenged Chi- na’s claims to the whole sea, through which half of all shipped merchant tonnage passes each year. U.S. and Asian officials have said that Vietnam and the United States spearheaded the push in part over concerns that China’s navy has become increasingly ag- gressive in the sea, seizing fishing boats and arresting sailors from other countries. Some exchanges of gunfire have also occurred in recent months, Asian officials
K R
The World
said. China’s claims to the South Chi- na Sea stretch back at least to the 1930s, when official maps from China contained the whole sea as Chinese territory. China’s histori- ans have also pointed to ancient shards of pottery on atolls as proof that the sea has historically belonged to China. The U.S. push on the issue seems to have taken Chinese lead- ers by surprise although U.S. offi- cials have been speaking with China about the problem for
A7 China renews claim to South China Sea, vows freedom of passage
months. Dai Bingguo, China’s state councilor in charge of for- eign policy, told Clinton in May during a tense exchange on the re- gion that China viewed its claims to the sea as a “core national inter- est.” China’s embassy in Washington also asked the State Department not to raise the subject in the run- up to the meeting in Hanoi and apparently thought Washington would follow its wishes, Chinese sources said.
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Sale ends July 31,2010. *Norugs andalimited home selectionatChevy Chase. Reg./Orig. prices reflectoffering prices.Savingsmay notbebased on actual sales. Intermediatemarkdowns mayhavebeentaken. Savings off regular, original and already-reduced prices. Some items may be included in sales already in progress or in future sales. No adjustments to prior purchases. Furniture and mattresses must be delivered from our central warehouse; delivery fees apply. Furniture, mattresses and rugs not at Soho, Bridgewater Commons, Lenox Square, North Michigan Avenue or Mall of America. No furniture or rugs in our California stores; mattresses only available at Century City, Newport Fashion Island, Sherman Oaks and South Coast Plaza. Furniture and mattresses notatShortHills. Furniture and rugs notatWaltWhitman or OldOrchard Center.Mattresssavings maynot be combined with any other discount, promotion or certificate. Mattress warranty information available at department register, or by writing to: Bloomingdale’s, 1000 ThirdAvenue, NewYork, NY 10022, Attention: Risk ManagementDept.,10thFloor.Mattressand rugphotosused mayberepresentative only.Mattressselectionvariesbylocation.Bloomingdale’sisnot responsiblefor typographicalorpictorial errors.Prices, savingsand selection
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PLEASE VISIT BLOOMINGDALES.COM OR CALL STORES FOR HOURS. CHEVY CHASE, 5300 WESTERN AVENUE, MARYLAND, 240-744-3700 • WHITE FLINT MALL, KENSINGTON, 301-984-4600 TYSONS CORNER CENTER, MCLEAN, 703-556-4600
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