FW: [News] China eyes oil reserves in Spratly

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> Kyodo News Service    
> 97-06-30
> 
> China's military buildup eyes oil reserves in Spratly
> 
> 
> TOKYO, June 30 (Kyodo) - Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma
> said
> Monday that China's military buildup is partially aimed at securing
> oil
> reserves around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea
> and the
> Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. 
> 
> ''(China) is considerably aware of its marine interests. If it keeps
> up its
> economic development at the current pace, it may secure oil in the
> future
> through imports from the Middle East, but since there may be oil in
> the
> Spratly Islands, the Senkaku Islands and other areas, it would
> naturally
> think it cannot overlook that,'' Kyuma said at a lecture in Tokyo. 
> 
> He made the remarks on the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu Islands
> in
> China and claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan, as well as the Spratlys
> claimed
> by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, in
> connection with Beijing's military buildup and modernization. 
> 
> ''It (China) has emphasized building its Navy and Air Force. It has
> introduced Sukhoi-27 fighters from Russia, which are almost the same
> as the
> U.S.-designed F-15 fighter, and purchased 'Kilo-class' submarines,''
> Kyuma
> said. The ''Kilo-class'' is a term used by Western defense authorities
> for an
> unidentified Russian ''K'' type submarine. 
> 
> Kyuma indicated Japan needs to consider China when it thinks of its
> future
> defense, saying, ''We should tackle the defense issue by always
> keeping in
> mind how each country would move in the 21st century.'' 
> 
> The defense minister also noted the importance of the ongoing review
> of the
> 1978 guidelines for Japan-U.S. defense cooperation, which the two
> countries
> aim to conclude this fall. 
> 
> ''What takes importance is to improve the credibility of the
> Japan-U.S.
> security system...If Japan-U.S. relations are stable, they would be a
> deterrent against trouble in the Asia-Pacific region,'' he said. 
> 
> In an interim report to the guidelines review worked out earlier in
> June,
> Tokyo vowed to study the issue of inspecting ships in seas around
> Japan to
> secure the implementation of international economic sanctions on a
> third
> country. 
> 
> But Japan's Constitution would not allow its warships to halt
> unidentified
> ships by firing warning shots or using other forcible means, he said. 
> 
> In speaking on the limits of Japanese defense participation, Kyuma
> said
> Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) may go beyond the Far East in order
> to
> provide humanitarian assistance or to evacuate overseas Japanese in
> the event
> of an emergency in areas surrounding Japan. 
> 
> He said the geographical scope of Japanese contributions may be
> different
> when the SDF sweeps mines or gives other forms of assistance to the
> U.S.
> military. 
> 
> AP-NY-06-30-97 0741EDT
>