China on the South China Seas

[Allon]

I just got back from a trip to Singapore. Met a lot of people connected to Duterte. They say he is a druggy. For all the rhetoric he spews about killing drug merchants, he uses drugs himself. It certainly explains the strange behavior.

 

I like Singapore. Everything there is perfect, orderly, clean. And the people are proud to claim to be from there. A lot of beautiful Asian women too. If you got yellow fever, try and get a shot before you go. The food there is fantastic. That city/state is a good example of diversity in action and working pretty well.

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

Beijing’s challenge to US warship in South China Sea ‘deliberate and calculated’, observers say

By the normal rules for ensuring navigational safety ‘there’s no way we would see ships getting so close’, analyst says

 

 

 

 

Contact was only averted when the Decatur changed course and sailed away from the Chinese ship.

Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said the Chinese move was clearly intended to demonstrate Beijing’s resolve to safeguard the territory it claims.

“This is the most aggressive and dangerous action China has taken since Trump came into office,” he said. “All freedom of navigation patrols are shadowed by Chinese vessels and aircraft, and told to leave the area, but none has come this close or moved this dangerously.

“China is signalling ‘we have sovereignty’ even though no one accepts that.”

. . .

“In the past, the Chinese vessel would only have sent a warning to the US ship,” he said.

. . .

In a move that is likely to further stoke tensions in the disputed waters, CNN on Thursday cited unnamed US defence officials as saying that the US Pacific Fleet had drawn up a plan for a major show of force in the region that would see planes and ships taking part in freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

 

 

[amberjack1234]

Getting more dangerous.

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

Two US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait in move likely to anger Beijing

• Island’s defence ministry confirms vessels passed through international waters

A short statement released by the ministry did not give the names of the two US vessels, but said they passed through international waters of the Taiwan Strait and described the operation as “routine”.

Taiwan’s military is fully aware of the passage of the US vessels, and is capable of defending its maritime territory and airspace security, the statement said.

 

 

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/2157801840917627/

US presses China on South China Sea

South China Morning Post

Quote

China wants the US to stop its military moves in the South China Sea.

A response came swiftly: No.

 

 

 

Top US officials reject Chinese demand to stop military moves that ‘undermine’ Beijing’s sovereignty in South China Sea

 

• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary James Mattis meet with Chinese counterparts in Washington
• Despite differing views, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe described talks as constructive ‘so that this military relationship will be a source of stability’

Edited June 3, 2021 by Randy W
add link to article (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

Beijing tried to block Philippine military facilities on disputed island ‘over fears US could use them’

• Concern that new and upgraded facilities on Thitu could be shared with the US, undermining China’s military advantage in the South China Sea
• Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte demanded Beijing ‘lay off the island’ after it sent about 275 boats there as an apparent warning

 

 

 

“US warships could sail near the island and fighter jets could land or take off from the runway, directly threatening the safety of China’s island reef outposts in the Spratly Islands,” Xu said.

He said that China’s decision to send vessels near the island was a “mild warning” that the Philippines’ heavy construction of infrastructure is a challenge to Beijing’s wish to maintain the island’s status quo.

Thitu – or Pagasa, as it is called in the Philippines – is the largest of the nine features occupied by the Philippines and is home to about 100 civilians along with a small military garrison. It also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Zhang Mingliang, an associate professor specialising in South China Sea studies at Jinan University in Guangzhou, said the Philippines was “changing the status quo” of the island” by pushing new military construction.

He said Chinese vessels’ presence was “a posture of warning over the new construction” despite not actually blocking access for the Philippines to bring in construction equipment.

But Zhang said Beijing would be concerned that “Manila could share those military facilities currently under repairs and upgrades on Thitu with the US for the purpose of surveillance on China, undermining China’s military advantage in the South China Sea through the building of man-made islands”.

 

Edited April 14, 2019 by Randy W
forgot link (see edit history)

[amberjack1234]

It never ends does it?

[Allon]

I am reading more about the two Sino-Japanese wars that occurred in the early to mid-20th century. Japan's rise and attendant hegemony toward China and the outlying Asian areas prior to Pearl Harbor could have been foreseen -- better, not it was not watched by us. A major factor was Japan's military that literally formed a government within a government. It was actually the military that caused the rise of Japanese nationalism and the taking of Russian and Chinese territory then.

 

I guess everyone is watching the PLA, including Xi Xinping, as did Hu Jintao previous.

 

Recently met with a group of Chinese friends at a dinner. They were all talking about how "strong" China looked with the constant parades and shows of force in the South China Sea. A remarkable instance of history not repeating, but people repeating history.

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

India challenging China’s influence in the South China Sea with outreach to Russia and other regional powers, analysts say

• India and Russia have agreed to launch a maritime route that would partly go through the hotly contested waters
• Traditional security allies also could ramp up their military and technological collaboration

 

 

 

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by India and Russia – two traditional security allies – during a regional economic forum this week, a new Indo-Pacific sea route will extend from the port city of Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, to Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.

The shipping route will partly traverse the South China Sea, the scene of numerous territorial disputes involving China and neighbouring countries over the years.

In addition to cooperating on the planned maritime route, India and Russia could ramp up their alliance in the military and technological spheres, according to a joint statement released at the economic forum in Vladivostok.

 

 

[Randy W]

to be based in Sanya - from the SCMP on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/608230939944902/

 

South China Morning Post

13 hrs ·

The first made-in-China aircraft carrier has officially entered service.

Read the full story: https://sc.mp/yejkn

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/608230939944902/

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

Ending Philippines-US military pact will affect South China Sea disputes: analysts

 

Experts say it will have an impact on calculations by Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea dispute and be a ‘huge win for China’

 

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3050833/ending-philippines-us-military-pact-will-affect-south-china-sea?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1581828352

 

 

 

The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is one of three pacts governing the US-Philippines defence relationship. Experts warn that without it, the other two – a mutual defence agreement and the 2014 enhanced defence cooperation agreement, known as EDCA – will be substantially less effective. The agreements provide for training and assistance to the Philippines’ military modernisation effort as well as annual joint military exercises.

The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is one of three pacts governing the US-Philippines defence relationship. Experts warn that without it, the other two – a mutual defence agreement and the 2014 enhanced defence cooperation agreement, known as EDCA – will be substantially less effective. The agreements provide for training and assistance to the Philippines’ military modernisation effort as well as annual joint military exercises.

 

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper last week described the termination of the VFA as “unfortunate” and “a move in the wrong direction”.

 

“We have to digest it. We have to work through the policy angles, the military angles,” Esper told reporters.

 

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on Facebook

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/10158089092379820/

 

Hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats ‘intrude into Chinese waters’

 

Beijing-based group suggests that some of the vessels were there to spy on Chinese military facilities

But analyst says there’s not enough evidence to show the boats were there for anything other than fishing

More than 300 Vietnamese fishing boats ventured into Chinese waters during February and some crews manipulated transponder signals to avoid being tracked or identified, according to a Beijing-based think tank.

. . .

The report said the crews of some of vessels overrode automatic identification transponders or used Chinese ID numbers, throwing law enforcement off their trail.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/10158089092379820/

[Greg.D.]

Too bad there is not some kind of international court that could interpret the laws of the seas and settle these disputes!

https://www.ibtimes.com/south-china-sea-dispute-vietnams-fishing-trawlers-entering-chinese-waters-claims-2927864

South China Sea Dispute: Vietnam’s Fishing Trawlers Entering Chinese Waters, Claims Beijing

 

In what may be a case of the abuser claiming to be the victim of abuse, Chinese diplomatic observers are claiming that Vietnamese fishing trawlers, some with armed militia, are entering into Chinese waters in the South China Sea.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/chinas-aggressive-new-move-in-the-south-china-sea-brings-region-closer-to-brink-of-war/news-story/11e3943389f73d7fd2e7baf8d2594cba

China’s aggressive new move in the South China Sea brings region closer to brink of war

While the eyes of the world are distracted by the coronavirus, something very dangerous is going down in the South China Sea.

 

There’s a three-way “dangerous, ongoing game of chicken” in the South China Sea.

A maelstrom of warships, coastguard vessels, militia boats and oil rigs is pitting Malaysia, Vietnam and China against each other.

Beijing has upped the ante on its claim over the entire South China Sea in recent months.

And its relentless pressure has seen cracks emerge between otherwise friendly ASEAN nations such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

Which may be why neither nation has been publicly vocal about China’s latest aggressive incursion. It’s in waters Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur are themselves tussling over.

Washington-based think-tank the Asia Marine Transparency Initiative (AMTI) has released a report tracking frenetic shipping movements around several South China Sea resource claims.

Malaysia, Vietnam and China are all posturing to stake their claim on these valuable patches of water.

The result is what AMTI describes as “the new normal in the South China Sea”: A tense standoff.

“New energy development by Southeast Asian states anywhere within the nine-dash line will be met by persistent, high-risk intimidation from Chinese law enforcement and paramilitary vessels,” the report reads.

[Greg.D.]

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/war-south-china-sea-would-reshape-asia-and-world-127557

A War In The South China Sea Would Reshape Asia (And The World)

 

China’s claims of South China Sea (SCS) ownership are illegal, but Beijing’s hyper-nationalistic officials increasingly encourage its forces to attack U.S. Navy ships operating lawfully there.

 

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) appears to be calling for war—a war it may well get. But it is a war that will not stay confined to that body of water, and a war that could ultimately end with regime change in Beijing.

 

One People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer recently exhorted PLA Navy vessels to ram and sink U.S. Navy ships conducting freedom of navigation operations in the SCS. Another called for the sinking of two U.S. aircraft carriers and killing upward of 10,000 U.S. sailors to force the U.S. from these hotly contested waters.

“If the US warships break into Chinese waters again, I suggest that two warships should be sent: one to stop it, and another one to ram it,” said PLA Air Force Colonel Commandant Dai Xu on December 8, 2018. Dai, president of China’s Institute of Marine Safety and Cooperation, proposed these unprovoked acts of war in a highly publicized forum: at a conference sponsored by Beijing Global Times.

A senior PLA Navy officer then called for the sinking of two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to “frighten” the U.S. away from the SCS. In a speech on December 20, 2018, Rear Admiral Luo Yuan, the deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, asserted that the key for Chinese domination of the SCS lies in using ballistic missiles to sink the two carriers, killing as many American sailors as possible.

“What the United States fears the most is taking casualties,” Luo said in his call to kill upwards of 10,000 U.S. sailors. “We’ll see how frightened America is,” he said.

Some might argue such belligerence from senior PLA officers does not reflect China’s official policy or is simply Information Warfare, but these defenses are disingenuous. None of the senior officers has been publicly chastised by the PRC for inciting war, and the PLAN is engaging in increasingly-dangerous actions across the SCS.

[danb]

"A senior PLA Navy officer then called for the sinking of two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to “frighten” the U.S. away from the SCS. In a speech on December 20, 2018, Rear Admiral Luo Yuan, the deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, asserted that the key for Chinese domination of the SCS lies in using ballistic missiles to sink the two carriers, killing as many American sailors as possible.

“What the United States fears the most is taking casualties,” Luo said in his call to kill upwards of 10,000 U.S. sailors. “We’ll see how frightened America is,” he said."

I find it hard to believe that the killing of 10,000 U.S. would be tolerate by the American people or any US president. The " line in the sand" would have definitely been leaped over. Not sure about 10 or 20 military personnel , masked behind a mistake , misguided action or some other bogus excuse. No idea, who this Luo Yuan is. I am also sure that we have people in the US that also call for reckless military options and action against China. Hopefully we always have wiser people in power....in both country.

Edited March 8, 2020 by danb (see edit history)