Category Archives: High Seas

UN member states will gather in New York to hammer out a long-awaited treaty that, if agreed, will govern the planets last, lawless wilderness: the high seas.

Two hundred nautical miles beyond the territorial waters and jurisdiction of nations, the high seas have been treated recklessly, according to environmental groups.

Warning that the outcome of the talks which run from Monday until 26 August, will determine the fate of the ocean for generations, they are urging world leaders to agree to an ambitious, legally binding treaty to protect marine life and to reverse biodiversity loss.

The high seas epitomise the tragedy of the commons, said Marco Lambertini director general of WWF International. Because they dont belong to anyone, they have been treated recklessly with impunity. We need a common governance mechanism for our oceans to ensure that nobodys waters become everyones waters and everyones responsibility.

The high seas, which lie beyond the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of nations and make up two-thirds of the ocean, play a vital role in supporting fisheries, providing habitats for ecosystems crucial for planetary health and mitigating the impact of the climate crisis. But only 1% of the high seas are protected.

Awa Traor, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said in the two decades governments have been discussing a high seas treaty, marine life has suffered.

Here in west Africa, weve already seen fish stocks severely depleted by industrial fishing vessels, often from Europe, and this is already harming livelihoods and food security across the region, said Traor. Any further delays would be a slap in the face to all who put faith in political leaders keeping their promises. Delegates must follow through on their governments commitments, and finalise an ambitious global ocean treaty now.

Fifty nations have pledged to protect 30% of the planets land and seas by 2030. But without an agreement, these pledges will have no legal basis in the high seas.

This months talks are the second attempt this year to reach an agreement on the high seas.

At a UN ocean conference in June, UN secretary-general, Antnio Guterres, declared an ocean emergency and suggested the egoism of some governments was hampering efforts to agree a high seas treaty. At the same conference in Lisbon, Rena Lee, president of the intergovernmental conference on BBNJ (biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction), who will chair the New York treaty talks, told delegates: Instruct your negotiators to come to the fifth session with maximum flexibility to get to the finish line.

The ocean has a critical role in buffering the world from the climate crisis, by absorbing carbon dioxide as well as 90% of heat caused by warming. But sea levels, ocean heating, acidification and greenhouse gas concentrations all reached record levels last year, according to the World Meteorological Organisations state of the global climate report, hampering the oceans capacity as a carbon sink.

On Friday, the High Seas Alliance, a coalition of 50 environmental organisations will launch a treaty tracker to name and shame countries they say are dragging their heels during negotiations.

The alliance will grade each countrys negotiating positions, with a high low or business as usual level of ambition. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions urging all 193 nations to deliver a strong treaty that will protect the ocean.

At least 49 countries, including the UK and the 27 countries of the EU, have committed to achieve an ambitious outcome at the talks.

Time is running out, said Sophia Tsenikli, the senior strategic adviser for the High Seas Alliance. We want a really strong treaty that will allow the ocean to recover from cumulative threats.

Among the key stumbling blocks to getting an agreement is how the treaty, which will set up a new international body, will interact with other organisations. When the negotiations were first established by the UN general assembly it was made clear that the treaty should not undermine existing organisations.

Liz Karan, project director of the high seas conservation programme at the Pew Charitable Trusts and an observer at the talks, wants to see the new body given powers to establish and monitor marine protected areas and have a role in deciding whether an environmental impact assessment for planned high seas activities is complete enough, prior to the activity taking place.

Karan said she was hopeful, given the high-level coalition and positive statements from world leaders in Lisbon, that the political will exists to drive things forward.

We need an agreement completed, but one that results in effective conservation in the high seas, she said.

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UN member states meet in New York to hammer out high seas treaty - The Guardian

Video Duration 24 minutes 55 seconds 24:55

United Nations members are meeting to agree on a deal to protect international waters.

Countries have tried for years to reach a global agreement on protecting the high seas.

These are areas of the worlds oceans that fall beyond the jurisdiction of any one nation.Two-thirds of oceans are considered international waters, but only 1.2 percent of these high seas are protected.

This means most of the worlds marine life is exposed to growing threats from climate change, overfishing and shipping. United Nations member states meeting in New York City aim to have a legally binding treaty to protect 30 percent of the worlds oceans by 2030.

But what has prevented an agreement until now?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Jessica Battle senior expert on global ocean policy, World Wildlife Fund

Daanish Mustafa professor of critical geography, Kings College London

Will McCallum head of oceans, Greenpeace UK

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How should the high seas be protected? - Al Jazeera English

Sea of Thieves has continually been updated since its launch, bringing in everything from spectral phantoms and coral beasts to Jack Sparrow and Spanish fleets. But the most recent Captaincy update, which launched at the start of August along with season 7, may be one of the most impactful updates yet. Captaincy allows players to name and decorate their own ship, sell to a special vendor, and otherwise flex their status on the high seas. Its the first update to really shine the spotlight on other players, and it makes the Sea feel so much more alive.

When Sea of Thieves first launched, threats were thin on the ground. Developer Rare has since expanded the map into the fiery, frightful Devils Roar and added a whole host of dungeons and quests to explore. But all of these updates have been external, changing the world. Pirates themselves have received new tattoos or dresses, but rarely have they been granted new ways to meaningfully progress their own story.

Now, on the high waves, peering down a spyglass at a Captained ship plays a little tune, and you get to see their ships name, which is also emblazoned above their quarters. For instance, if you were to encounter me on the seas, youd see that I run The Bewwowing Hewwo, a fearsome sloop. I greet others with a heartfelt Hewwo. Im the captain of this ship, and you cant do anything about it although many try, often with cannons and fire. Peering at others ships, with names like the parrot-cosmetic-adorned Chicken Club or the black and gold Booty Hunter, and flipping through their log books, make them feel like similarly established characters.

[Captaincy] always felt like a core part of the pirate fantasy, says creative director Mike Chapman in a call with Polygon. Chapman says the team has discussed adding this feature on and off since launch. I think weve kind of reached a point now with the sandbox facilities that have evolved so much, and theres such a breadth of different experiences and play styles, that it was time to allow players to become Captains.

In Sea of Thieves, players can progress through the Tall Tales quest lines, earn reputation with factions, show up for Adventures, and battle through world events. But there wasnt much in the way of meaningful personal progression. A few rare pirates have earned Easter eggs in the world through community contributions, but there are no Boots of Better Sailing to acquire or Pirate Points to spend in talent trees. Your pirate could gussy themselves up in new cosmetics, like tattoos or a cool sword, but each session still started with a fresh, unadorned sloop.

Now, players can assemble their own fleets, purchasing new ships and locking specific customization slots like a treasured capstan or cool cannon to automatically load on a sloop, brigantine, or galleon. As Captains go about their adventures, theyll accumulate Milestones, which unlock new trinkets and treasures. And if your ship gets jostled about, you can straighten up paintings and realign your little statues so your ship is neat. If your ship is krakend or firebombed, that damage will show up unless you pay a small sum to remove it.

When we thought about deep levels of customization, we thought that players want to express how they play and who they are as a captain, says Shelley Preston, lead designer on Sea of Thieves. If you love the Devils Roar stuff, youll have Milestones that correlate with globe-y, volcanic rock looking decorations and you can progress that way and become that reflection of that play style.

Some of the trinkets are trophies from dramatic adventures, and some of them are just nice little ferns or a humble hook on which to hang ones hat. It was about ensuring that weve got enough variety and kind of role-playability to actually make the cabin and the quarters feel like its theirs, says Preston.

Chapman says that it was a process to make sure that Captains had fun options without cluttering up their ships too much. What you dont want to do is push it so far that you can adversely affect the core gameplay, that youre impacting the free flow of walking around the ship and accessing damage holes when youre under stress and your ship is sinking. So its trying to tread that line of not affecting the core gameplay, but really giving that ability to express yourself and the things that youve done.

While Rare has given Sea of Thieves a multitude of updates since its launch over four years ago, the Captaincy update is one Ive enjoyed the most so far. A new voyage or glowing landmark on the map to investigate is always fun, but the dolly dress-up element of fastidiously arranging little trinkets on my sloop is delightful.

Its also great to sink another ship and read their logbook. When my buddies and I were aboard a brig, being chased down by a Reaper ship called The Audacity, we feared for our precious cargo. But we managed to stay afloat and win a brutal war of attrition, and then we seized their logbook and marveled at their achievements. All of the other Captaincy features, like the ability to sell your loot en masse to a convenient vendor at outposts, is just the icing on the cake.

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Sea of Thieves Captaincy update makes the seas feel more alive - Polygon

"We have to create the legal framework to stop high seas mining and not to allow new activities that endanger ecosystems."

That statement by French President Emmanuel Macron during a side event at the United Nations Ocean Conference earlier this summer hooked attention for an issue every climate tech entrepreneur should reflect on deeply: the race by mining companies to dive into exploration and extraction activities in the deep sea, on the hunt for oil and gas, as well as mineral deposits and nodules rich in manganese, iron, nickel, copper, cobalt and other metals vital for electric vehicle batteries or clean energy generation.

What most news stories failed to report, however, was Macrons next comment: "My point is at the same time, I think we have to promote our scientists and explorers to better know and discover these high seas We need to better understand in order to better protect."

The urgency of what is at stake is tangible. Last year, the tiny Micronesian country of Nauru triggered a legal process under which it could begin commercial extraction by July 2023 under whatever regulations and rules are in place at that time. That has sent the International Seabed Authority (ISA) responsible for setting rules to "organize, regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area for the benefit of mankind as a whole" scrambling to comply. Indeed, according to environmental group Greenpeace, ISA has already approved 31 contracts to begin "commercial exploitation." It has been hosting negotiations this summer, mostly behind closed doors.

The concern is that no one really knows what impact these mining and extraction activities might have on the deep ocean floor. Picture the worst practices of terrestrial mining. Now imagine that happening 4 or 5 miles below the ocean surface. (The deep sea is generally defined as whats below 656 feet of depth.)

Its not just seabed mining; it is the whole responsible metals approach that we should be concerned about.

The situation has inspired a tsunami of criticism from activist groups, including Greenpeace, and has prompted calls for a moratorium by countries including Chile (seeking a 15-year freeze on the practice), Palau, Fiji and Samoa and by businesses including BMW Group, Google, Patagonia, Philips, Renault, Rivian, Samsung, Scania, Volkswagen and Volvo. Other companies including Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Microsoft and Tiffany have written clauses into their procurement policies that exclude deep-sea minerals, according to the organization that organized the moratorium statements, the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. A half-dozen or so banks and financial institutions, including Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest, have pledged not to invest in these activities, according to its research.

Earlier this year, the U.N. Environment Program published an analysis suggesting how financial institutions should respond to the deep-sea mining sector. Heres one of the biggest takeaways: "In the context of ongoing work being undertaken by UNEP FI with respect to financing the sustainable blue economy, there is no foreseeable way in which the financing of deep-sea mining activities can be viewed as consistent with the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles or compatible with the spirit and intent of the Sustainable Blue Economy."

In the case of deep-sea mining, what we dont know is one of the biggest arguments for pushing pause.

According to a statement so far signed by more than 650 marine scientists and policy experts from more than 44 countries (including Esri Chief Scientist Dawn Wright, speaking this year at VERGE 22), the deep ocean is one of the worlds most expansive carbon sinks, one that provides critical ecosystem services for global fisheries. But we know very little about how it actually does this only 20 percent of the seafloor is mapped, and just 1.1 percent of the regions being considered for deep-sea exploration have enough data available to understand the risk mining might pose to biodiversity and other ecological factors.

According to the statement signed by those scientists, these are some causes for concern:

"We strongly recommend that the transition to the exploitation of mineral resources be paused until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions as to whether deep-sea mining can be authorized without significant damage to the marine environment and, if so, under what condition," the statement reads.

The big dilemma, of course, is that the seafloor is believed to be rich with resources that are vitally important for the transition to a clean economy. Those resources could also be a valuable source of income for emerging economies (such as Nauru) that host these minerals and metals in their national waters.

To be clear, no deep-sea commercial mining is going on at the moment, but testing is going on in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, considered the greatest potential trove for polymetallic nodules, and activities are occurring at shallower depths.

To better understand whats next, I spoke with Renee Grogan, a signatory of the group calling for research and testing, who also happens to be the co-founder and chief sustainability officer for Impossible Mining, a Canadian startup developing technology for harvesting polymetallic nodules that lie on the ocean floor. The company raised an additional $10.1 million in seed funding in June to help fund pilots of its technology.

We strongly recommend that the transition to the exploitation of mineral resources be paused until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions ...

Impossible proposes using autonomous robots and artificial intelligence to search out and collect nodules that can be harvested for their metals and minerals. The technology is endowed with features designed to help it avoid fragile sealife, such as coral tendrils, as well as the sediment, Grogan said.

The company is also working on a bio-extraction technique that removes the metals from the nodules using bacteria and without relying on acids, toxic chemicals or extreme heat, she said. "Its not just seabed mining; it is the whole responsible metals approach that we should be concerned about," Grogan told me. "It is not a single headline story."

As part of her argument, she pointed to the supply chain for cobalt, which even today rests on the backs of at least 40,000 child laborers. Rather than dismissing alternatives outright, there needs to be a sharper focus on responsible experimentation, she said. Impossible Mining is actively engaging with a number of the scientists signing the statement seeking research on deep-sea mining, Grogan noted, and is incorporating elements of their recommendations into its product development.

Impossible Mining is just one company, of course. One of the most high-profile startups in deep-sea mining, The Metals Co. (formerly DeepGreen Metals), in mid-July said it is working with an Australian research consortium to sketch out an ecosystems management and monitoring program related to its collection operations in the Clarion Clipperton Zone. The blueprint will be used to create a predictive technology that builds on what The Metals Co. has already learned and that can be shared with others.

Its clear that any mining company with deep-sea aspirations has a responsibility to participate in developing approaches that minimize their impact, or they could see their business plans scuttled by an ocean of opposition. And companies building the essential components of everything from EVs to wind turbines to solar panels should be asking their suppliers deeper questions about the source of the materials theyre building them with. "Every form of mining has an impact even selective harvesting will have an impact," Grogan acknowledged.

[Want more great insight on technologies and trends accelerating the clean economy? Subscribe to our free Climate Tech Weekly newsletter. ]

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Surfing a wave of controversy over deep-sea mining | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Around the world, people in cities, towns, villages and hamlets, even in the most remote places, want to get online and enjoy online experiences that are transformational for homes and businesses alike. And over the past few years, demand for high-speed connectivity from anywhere and everywhere has seen an explosion in the number of satellite broadband providers, and now demonstrable financial success.

In August 2022, and despite facing a number of headwinds, satellite operator SES reported a solid first six months of the year, with its networks business outshining a declining core broadcast line, delivering annual growth of 2% driven by important wins at individual companies, such as Argentinean telco Arsat, Hispasat-owned teleport operator and satellite services providerAxess Networks, as well as agreements signed in key industries such as utilities and cruise lines.

Its the same story at arch-rival Eutelsat, whose full-year results reported at the same time show fixed broadband and mobile connectivity businesses delivering double-digit growth, highlighting their long-term potential, whereas broadcast continues on a similar decline, albeit tracking at a slower rate.

So buoyed was Eutelsat, and looking to the future, it confirmed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join forces with the global low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite provider OneWeb, a company whose dramatic recent history clearly shows the way in which satellite broadband is gaining a higher orbit and delivering for those everywhere.

Despite its somewhatcontroversial beginnings, being rescued from bankruptcy by a cash injection from the UK government and Bharti Global, OneWeb has established a satellite constellation capable of providing improved capacity,mobile resilience, backhauland coverage, includingfixed wireless access, in challenging geographic locations.

Thecompanysconstellation of global gateway stations and user terminalsis designed to provide an affordable, fast, high-bandwidth, low-latency communications service to the most hard-to-reach places globally, connected tointernet of things(IoT) devices and making a pathway for massadoption of 5G services.

In July 2021, OneWeb completed its Five to 50 mission to supply broadband connectivity from the North Pole to the 50thparallel, addressing remote locations in the UK, Canada, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland and the Arctic region. It would appear that OneWeb will be slugging it out with Elon Musks Starlink in the constellation game; in fact, the companies have been cooperating on launches.

The aforementioned Hispasatannounced its Axess Networks acquisition in March 2022 and has a broad customer base in industrial and corporate sectors related to telecommunications, oil and energy, and mining, among others, with critical operations in remote areas where service resilience and quality are extremely important.

The acquisition has also positioned Hispasat to accelerate the development of technology for emerging markets,such as the IoT or satellite 5G telecoms networks an objective especially notable in Latin America. Weeks after announcing the acquisition, Hispasat announced a collaboration with internet service provider GlobalSat in the roll-out of free satellite connectivity hotspots in 500 remote towns in Mexico, where only satellite was able to provide such coverage and capability.

In Asia, satellite communications services provider ST Engineering iDirect confirmed in July 2022 that Malaysian satellite operator Measat is significantly expanding its iDirect Evolution-based satellite network to deliver a plethora of services to enterprises and communities located in rural and ultra-rural areas. Launched on 22 June 2022, Measat-3d is designed to provide C, Ku and Ka-band high-throughput satellite(HTS) capacity so that users will be able to enjoy high-speed broadband regardless of their location in Malaysia.

So, while the market for satellite broadband has, you could say, taken off, its worth looking at where this connectivity is being used by enterprises and in commercial application.

Its once again interesting to note the trajectory of OneWeb. The company has been putting the general connectivity building blocks in place over the past two years and has now begun in earnest to sign up commercial clients with acute need for cost-effective broadband connectivity in the most remote places, such as the high seas.

In May 2022, OneWeb signed a memorandum of understanding with maritime technology firm Navarino, delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity to the global commercial shipping industry. A series of sea trials are being undertaken, with the aim of connecting the first vessels from the first quarter of 2023.

At the time, Carole Plessy, head of maritime atOneWeb, described the potential for using enhanced connectivity, particularly on sensitive routes where real-time video and cloud syncing can be used as standard, even on deep sea vessels, as game-changing.

Navarino is an industry leader in maritime technology and were proud to work with its team to make a difference to the operations of commercial shipping and to shape the future of sustainable smart shipping, she said. Together, we can provide a selection of tailored, customisable broadband channels.

Not to be outdone in seeking fortunes on the high seas, Eutelsat was selected in May 2022 by Telenor Maritime for in-orbit resources and managed services for cruise connectivity on several of its satellites. The partnership was constructed to boost the performance, coverage and resilience of Telenor Maritimes at-sea connectivity resources, providing reliable and secure connectivity to the cruise segment.

The agreement gave Telenor Maritime targeted resources and services in specific sailing areas, while further highlighting the maritime sectors interest in managed connectivity services and supporting the strong momentum in the Mediterranean and Caribbean connectivity markets, where the cruise industry is hugely popular.

Also hugely popular on a global basis is 5G, and the satellite firms are all over the possibilities of delivering this to places traditional masts cant reach. For example, May 2022 saw OmnispaceandThales Alenia Space successfully launch and deliver the Omnispace Spark-2 satellite to advance and validate the development and implementation of the operators global non-terrestrial network (NTN).

The new-generation NGSO satellite constellation, in low Earth orbit, will operate in 3GPP band n256, which has been standardised for NTN operation, making direct-to-enterprise and government IoT, as well as consumer device connectivity, possible worldwide.

The partners also believe that 5G mobile connectivity from a single global network will help transform industries and serve as the communications infrastructure to support the digital economies of the 21stcentury.

Another key market for satellite-based broadband is the internet of things, especially in the ability to provide connectivity to devices no matter how remotely they are located.

The beginning of 2022 saw IoT broadband skies getting more crowded, with Astrocast unveiling the commercial launch of its bidirectional satellite internet of things (SatIoT) service, designed to connect IoT devices globally when outside of cell-based terrestrial networks, at a comparable cost.

The company says that in any remote IoT deployment, device size, power consumption and reliability are priority concerns, and Astrocast believes bidirectional IoT has a significant role to play in a workable IoT system. Indeed, it regards the ability to send commands back to assets, rather than just receive data, as hugely powerful and enables an array of new use cases, including remote management of equipment.

In one possible use case, Astrocast says SatIoT could enable farmers to command silos to release food, open gates or manage irrigation systems, with no need for expensive and often hard-to-source human interaction. It also suggests that utility companies could remotely control water management systems in line with flood prevention strategies.

Around the same time, Wyld Networks entered into a partnership with Agrology to enable farms to collect data in remote locations. Founded in 2019,Agrologydevelops predictive agricultural technology (agritech) to help growers maximise profits with minimal input costs and environmental impact.

Itspredictive agricultureplatform combines proprietary sensor arrays with machine learning to provide actionable insights and trends via a mobile application. For its part,Wyld Connectis an IoT global connectivity network based on low-orbit satellite systems.

In the partnership, the use of its technology will ensure Agrologys ground truth sensors continue to gather data, from even the most remote locations, and deliver that data quickly to Agrology customers, regardless of connectivity status.

The firms say their network will empower mobile network operators, their customers and partners to fuel innovation, power industries and connect billions of users, as the payload antennas will be used to enable a direct connection, no matter where in the world the user is, meeting the consortiums commitment to enabling disruptive technologies for the benefit of all.

Meanwhile, semiconductor and advanced algorithms technology provider Semtech has announced a joint initiative with Lacuna Space to further increase the coverage and resilience of connectivity based on LoRaWAN (long-range wide-area networking), a standard designed to bridge between terrestrial networks with worldwide satellite to offer low-power ubiquitous connectivity.

Designed for IoT use cases, thelow-power WANcommunications technology uses unlicensed frequency bands to transmit data over a far longer range than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Semtechs LoRa device-to-cloud platform is a long-range, low-power service for IoT applications, enabling the development and deployment of low-power, cost-efficient and long-range IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products and IoT services worldwide. The companys LoRa devices provide the communications layer for the LoRaWAN protocol. LoRa is regarded as ideal for connecting battery-powered devices, however, until now, its use has been limited to receiving data from immobile devices in areas with terrestrial connectivity.

Mobile satellite services providerEchoStar Mobile is also aboard the LoRa world, confidently predicting it will unlock massiveIoTcapability across Europe. It has unveiled an early adopter programme for the pan-European satellite-based LoRa IoT service. The EchoStar Mobile LoRa solution allows sensors to roam freely in real time while sending and receiving information, making use of the companys licensed S-band spectrum and capacity on the EchoStar XXI geostationary satellite with a LoRa-enabled module that integrates easily into IoT devices.

Government agencies are also eyeing up the satellite broadband opportunities. SESs non-geostationary medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network will now be part of the governmental satellite communications (GovSatCom)-grade satellite communications platform it has developed with funding from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Based onO3b high-throughput, low-latency and secure communications, the MEO satellite network is designed for data-intensive applications sought by European governments, such as remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) operations, high-performance networks and cloud services, and allowing for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The agreement with ESA is an evolution of thePacis-1project that resulted in the development of a dedicated platform comprising geostationary (GEO) satellites for governments and institutions the SES Reach platform. The Reach platform capability was developed by SES specifically for European governmental and institutional users requiringGovSatCom-level servicesfor safety, security and emergency response.

And so, it goes on. As long as everyone, everywhere wants and needs broadband connectivity, there will also be a huge market to supply it. Watch this space, literally.

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Global broadband reaches for the stars to connect the Earth - ComputerWeekly.com

China is set to conclude the unprecedented military exercises it launched in response to Nancy Pelosis visit.

Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high-seas cat and mouse on Sunday, according to a report, as Beijing wrapped up four days of unprecedented military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

The air and naval drills were launched in response to a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and involved test launches of ballistic missiles over the islands capital for the first time.

China, which considers self-ruled Taiwan a part of its territory, also cut off communication links with Washington.

The Reuters news agency, citing a person with knowledge of the matter, said some 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, the unofficial buffer separating the two sides.

As Chinese forces pressed the line, the Taiwan side stayed close to monitor and, where possible, deny the Chinese the ability to cross, the person told Reuters.

The two sides are showing restraint, the person said, describing the manoeuvres as high seas cat and mouse. One side tries to cross, and the other stands in the way and forces them to a more disadvantaged position and eventually return to the other side.

The islands defence ministry said in a statement that multiple Chinese military ships, aircraft, and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy.

It said its forces scrambled jets to warn away 20 Chinese aircraft on Saturday, including 14 that crossed the median line. It also detected 14 Chinese ships conducting activity around the Taiwan Strait. It added that its shore-based anti-ship missiles and its Patriot surface-to-air missiles were on standby.

The Chinese exercises, centred on six locations around the island that China claims as its own, began on Thursday and are scheduled to last until midday on Sunday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported last week. Chinas military said on Saturday the exercises, north, southwest and east of Taiwan, had a focus on land-strike and sea-assault capabilities.

The United States called the exercises an escalation.

These activities are a significant escalation in Chinas efforts to change the status quo. They are provocative, irresponsible and raise the risk of miscalculation, a White House spokesperson said.

They are also at odds with our longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is what the world expects.

China says its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter and it reserves the right to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects Chinas claims saying only Taiwans people can decide their future.

China has also warned the US not to act rashly and create a greater crisis.

Referring to the response to Pelosis visit, the Communist Partys Peoples Daily newspaper said China had adopted effective measures that fully demonstrates that China is fully determined and capable of safeguarding national unity and safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As part of its response to Pelosis visit, China also halted communication through various channels with the US, including between military theatre commands and on climate change.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of taking irresponsible steps and moving away from prioritising peaceful resolution towards the use of force.

Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Blinken said the US had been hearing concern from allies about what he called Chinas dangerous and destabilising actions, but Washington sought to avoid escalating the situation.

He said Chinas cessation of bilateral dialogue in eight key areas was a move that would punish the world.

Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday accused Blinken of spreading misinformation.

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China, Taiwan play high-seas cat and mouse as drills wrap up - Al Jazeera English

A warship of the navy of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducts operations during joint combat exercises and training around the Taiwan Island, Aug 6, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

The is no legal basis for or definition of "international waters" in international law, so the Taiwan Straits cannot be called international waters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news conference on June 13 in reply to a question by a Bloomberg journalist.

Wang was right, because "international waters" is not a defined term in international law. To varying degrees and depending on the location, all ocean waters are open, and in a country's territorial waters, ships of all countries enjoy the right of (mark the term) "innocent passage".

Some foreign media outlets have said that given the intensifying disputes between China and the United States on the Taiwan question, making clear the legal status of the Taiwan Straits will help both sides have a better understanding of reality and enable them to focus on the issues of importance during discussions. It will also set guardrails for Sino-US relations, especially on the Taiwan question, they said.

'International waters' not a legal term

The term "international waters" which the Bloomberg journalist used is not a formal legal term in the international law of the sea; it is used informally by some countries to refer to the "high seas".

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea does not define "international waters", but in Part VII, titled "High Seas", Article 86 says: "The provisions of this Part apply to all parts of the sea that are not included in the exclusive economic zone, in the territorial sea or in the internal waters of a State, or in the archipelagic waters of an archipelagic State." Thus, the waters covered in the law of the sea include the high seas, exclusive economic zones, territorial seas, internal waters and archipelagic waters, but not "international waters".

Situated between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan island (that is, the mainland and islands of a country), the Taiwan Straits connects the East China Sea and the South China Sea. True, many international ships sail through the Straits. But it is incorrect of Ned Price, spokesman for the US Department of State, to say that the "Taiwan Straits is an international waterway", because Article 37 in Part III of the UNCLOS, titled "Straits Used for International Navigation", states: "This section applies to straits which are used for international navigation between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone."

Geographical features clarify status of Straits

Since the UNCLOS only describes but does not give a clear definition of such a type of strait, the Taiwan Straits may be classified on the basis of its geographical characteristics and functionality. But the rule of navigation under this part does not apply in this case. According to Article 35, "Nothing in this Part affects the legal status of the waters beyond the territorial seas of States bordering straits as exclusive economic zones or high seas."

As Article 36 stipulates: "This Part does not apply to a strait used for international navigation if there exists through the strait a route through the high seas or through an exclusive economic zone of similar convenience with respect to navigational and hydrographical characteristics; in such routes, the other relevant Parts of this Convention, including the provisions regarding the freedoms of navigation and overflight, apply."

These provisions exclude the application of Part III of the convention to the Taiwan Straits. And due to the special situation of Taiwan, the Chinese mainland has so far only announced the baselines of the territorial waters of the mainland, the Xisha Islands and the Diaoyu Islands, but not the baselines of the territorial waters of the remaining places, including the Taiwan and Penghu islands.

Under the UNCLOS' provisions, "internal waters" means all waters on the landward side of the baseline of the territorial sea that form part of the territory of the state. The territorial sea extends to 12 nautical miles (22.22 kilometers) from the baseline of a coastal state. Within this zone, the airspace above the sea and the seabed and subsoil are part of the territory of the state which exercises full sovereignty over its internal waters and the territorial sea. The contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, but inside the zone the coastal state has control over customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary matters.

Sovereignty over all internal waters

A state's exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, extending seaward to a distance of no more than 200 nautical miles from its coastal baseline. In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal state has sovereign rights "for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources" and for "the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone", as well as jurisdiction that includes the building and use of artificial islands, installations and structures; marine scientific research; and protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The Taiwan Straits is about 70 nautical miles at its narrowest and about 220 nautical miles at its widest. Under the UNCLOS and Chinese law, the Taiwan Straits' waters comprise China's internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.

Also, states have different rights and obligations over different channels of waters, and different modes of navigation apply to different waters. For example, ships of all states, whether coastal or landlocked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea (Articles 17, 18 and 19); and according to Article 30," (I)f any warship does not comply with the laws and regulations of the coastal State concerning passage through the territorial sea and disregards any request for compliance therewith which is made to it, the coastal State may require it to leave the territorial sea immediately."

For another example, in a country's exclusive economic zone, all states enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight (Article 58). Similarly, Article 11 of the Chinese law that deals with exclusive economic zones and continental shelves states:" (A) ll states shall, on the premise that they comply with international law and the laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, enjoy the freedom of navigation and overflight in its exclusive economic zone."

Who is breaking international rules?

When the final UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was presented in 1982, China was one of the first signatories. To date, more than 160 parties have signed it, with the United States being the most important exception. While there may be domestic political reasons for the US not joining the UNCLOS. But it is essentially its hegemonic mindset and pursuit of global maritime interests that has stopped it from signing the convention.

Incidentally, not being a party to the convention does not prevent the US from enjoying the rights the UNCLOS provides for other countries, but it does help it to circumvent its duties. For instance, the US can choose to ignore the convention's provision that" (t) he high seas shall be reserved for peaceful purposes" (Article 88), and in exclusive economic zones, "States shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal State and shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal State in accordance with the provisions of this Convention and other rules of international law insofar as they are not incompatible with this Part" (Article 58).

US warships have sailed through the Taiwan Straits on average once a month this year. Despite a large portion of the Straits falling within China's exclusive economic zone, the US has "freedom of navigation" but since the US is not a party to the UNCLOS, it can claim, without "regard to the rights and duties of the coastal State", that this represents the US' "commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region".

US freedom of navigation borders on provocation

Such freedom of navigation borders on provocation, not least because it supports Taiwan separatists and has been gradually hollowing out the "one China" principle that the US is obliged to adhere to according to the three Sino-US joint communiques it has signed. In fact, had it not been for the US' constant support for advocates of "Taiwan independence" for 70 years, the road to peaceful reunification across the Straits would not have been so tortuous.

In accordance with the UNCLOS and Chinese law, the Chinese government enjoys sovereignty and jurisdiction over the waters of the Taiwan Straits, although it respects the legitimate rights of other countries in these waters. If this question is deliberately manipulated using the false claim that China is violating the international law of the sea, China certainly needs to clarify what is right, and it has done so.

Courtesy: chinausfocus.com

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The author is a research fellow at the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.

Original post:

'Freedom of navigation' sailing in Straits provocative - Opinion - Chinadaily.com.cn - China Daily

New Delhi, August 8

A Pakistan Navy warship that crossed the maritime boundary line off the coast of Gujarat and entered Indian waters, was detected and forced to retreat by an Indian Coast Guard's Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft.

According to government sources, it happened in the high seas at the peak of the monsoon season in the first half of July, when Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Alamgir crossed the maritime boundary line between the two countries and went into Indian waters on its side.

Shortly after entering Indian waters, it was detected by an Indian Coast Guard's Dornier aircraft that was in the air after taking off from a nearby airport for ocean surveillance.

Indian agencies are very strict about maritime boundary laws and do not even allow their own fishermen to conduct fishing operations within five nautical miles of the border.

Dornier had informed its command centre about the presence of the Pakistani warship in Indian waters and continued to monitor it. According to sources, Dornier had issued a warning to the Pakistani warship about its location and was asked to return to its territory, but it did not respond.

Sources said Dornier kept hovering over PNS Alamgir, and also tried to establish communication with it over its radio to know its intentions, but the ships captain chose not to respond.

The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Air Force are keeping a watch along the Gujarat coast to prevent any misadventures. Pakistani activities, especially in the form of narco-terrorism, have increased in recent years.

Director General of Indian Coast Guard VS Pathania also recently visited the Porbandar area to review the preparedness of the fleet. He also inducted new ALH Dhruv helicopters for coastal surveillance. The forces hovercraft are also stationed in significant numbers in the area and conduct surveillance in both the high seas and shallow waters. IANS

See the original post here:

Indian Coast Guard's Dornier aircraft forces Pak Navy warship to return to its waters - The Tribune India

China and Taiwan are playing a military game of cat and mouse as tensions on the high seas remain high.

It follows U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi meeting with her Taiwanese counterparts in Taipei last week.

This visit infuriated China, as the nation regards the self-ruled island as its own territory.

Beijing has since responded by test launching ballistic missiles over Taiwans capital for the first time in history.

China and Taiwan each launched 10 warships in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the unofficial buffer separating the two sides.

Speaking at a conference in Bangladesh, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his countrys actions are legitimate and reasonable, aimed at protecting Chinas sacred sovereignty.

It must be borne in mind that Taiwan is not a part of the United States it is Chinas territory

Meanwhile, in the United States, former President Donald Trump called out Pelosis visit.

What was she doing? She fails. The women brings chaos, Trump said at a conservative conference in Dallas, Texas.

Trump continued, adding [Pelosi] played right into [Chinas] hands, because now they have an excuse to do whatever theyre doing.

Trump was the star contributor at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday evening.

Read more here:

Urgent investigation underway as a fourth Muslim is killed in New Mexico - ticker NEWS

China and Taiwan are playing a military game of cat and mouse as tensions on the high seas remain high.

It follows U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi meeting with her Taiwanese counterparts in Taipei last week.

This visit infuriated China, as the nation regards the self-ruled island as its own territory.

Beijing has since responded by test launching ballistic missiles over Taiwans capital for the first time in history.

China and Taiwan each launched 10 warships in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the unofficial buffer separating the two sides.

Speaking at a conference in Bangladesh, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his countrys actions are legitimate and reasonable, aimed at protecting Chinas sacred sovereignty.

It must be borne in mind that Taiwan is not a part of the United States it is Chinas territory

Meanwhile, in the United States, former President Donald Trump called out Pelosis visit.

What was she doing? She fails. The women brings chaos, Trump said at a conservative conference in Dallas, Texas.

Trump continued, adding [Pelosi] played right into [Chinas] hands, because now they have an excuse to do whatever theyre doing.

Trump was the star contributor at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday evening.

See more here:

Violence ends with a ceasefire in Gaza - ticker NEWS