WATCH: China shows off navy assets in recruitment video
China has released a video showing off its military assets in a bid to recruit people into joining the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
This is amid heightened tensions in the Asian region as China claims 90 percent of disputed areas in South China Sea.
READ: IN PHOTOS: China’s reclamation in West Philippine Sea
The 4-minute, 23-second video, posted on Youtube last August 7, features warships and submarines, as well as hospital ships and soldiers hauling medicines.
Keeping watch above the blue ocean are choppers and fighter jets.
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It also showed old footage of the Chinese army engaged in naval warfare.
The end of the video shows a vignette of China’s armed forces saluting and dozens of jets flying over the sea. Below them are more than 30 ships, including an aircraft carrier.
The Wall Street Journal translated some of the Chinese subtitles, which read, “In whichever corner of the globe, where there is azure [blue water], we will stand guard.”
Reports said the video also seemed like a warning to other nations.
“Our territory is vast but we won’t allow any sliver of our frontiers to be ceded to others,” one translation caption said. “Struggles over maritime rights have never ceased. We shall never yield even the tiniest bit of our resources.”
The Youtube video links to an article of the Chinese navy discussing its version of the United States’ military’s “mobile offshore base.”
But Malacañang on Saturday said it is not affected by the video and that it will concentrate on following a diplomatic track amid disputes involving Philippine-claimed areas in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
“Well, obviously, it’s a recruitment video. It’s intended to entice their people to join their organizations. But as far as we’re concerned, really, for us [is that] we concentrate on the tracks that we have taken and we concentrate on our initiatives,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.
“We prepared really well for the first round of argumentation before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in The Netherlands, and we would rather continue to prepare for eventualities on our initiatives,” she said.
The Philippines has repeatedly insisted on arbitration instead of bilateral talks with China.
However, it has also explained that its relations with the Asian giant is not limited to maritime disputes.
“Our relationship with China…is of different levels. It is multi-faceted,” Valte said.
“And just because we have an issue with them in terms of the maritime dispute does not mean that we will not work with them on other levels,” she explained, adding that trade and people-to-people exchanges continue between the two countries.
Recently, China claimed that it has ceased reclamation operations in the disputed areas.
READ: China says it has stopped reclamation work in South China Sea
But the Philippine government said it wanted to see proof.
READ: PH wants proof of China’s halt of reclamation works
Among the Philippine-claimed reefs, China has reportedly been building artificial islands on Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef), Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) and Zamora Reef (Subi Reef). JE
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