http://williambanzai7.blogspot.com
Posted on 12/02/2012 7:54:08 AM PST by mgist
MANILA, Philippines — China is “literally testing the waters” to see how far it can go in provoking America’s tolerance with the plan to board foreign ships as an act of asserting its claim over virtually the entire South China Sea.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said China has been appearing displeased by US military’s plan to “pivot” its presence to Asia following the planned pull-out of troops from Iran and Afghanistan.
To indicate this sentiment, Santiago said China would make things difficult for the US, its Western allies who have been using the sea as a transit route and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations where some members have been engaged in disputes with China over areas in the Spratlys in the past years.
However, Santiago warned that China has been pushing its luck in the attempt to provoke “public attention” through antics such as including disputed territories in the map of China printed in newly released electronic passports.
“China is provoking public attention but knows very well she cannot get away with it and that America at some point will put its foot down,” the senator said in a radio interview on Sunday.
It is unfortunate that the Philippines and other countries that would be affected by China’s plan to board foreign ships are caught in the power play it is engaged in with the US, according to Santiago.
“Naggigirian ang dalawang higante (Two giants are in a skirmish). China has become swellheaded because the US has obligations to it that add up to $13 billion,” she explained.
Santiago noted that when the US entered its ongoing financial crisis, its government sold bonds “which is actually an IOU note. Most of these bonds were bought by China.”
The senator said China could be exhibiting a belligerent attitude as a nose-thumbing gesture toward the superpower lender.
By Santiago’s interpretation, China means: “’Akala mo sino ka, nangungutang ka lang sa akin, kaya gagawin ko ang gusto ko (‘You think you’re that special but you’re just borrowing money from me, so I’ll do what I want to do’).”
On the other hand, the senator said China probably felt it was being fenced in by the US’ plan to shift attention to Asia.
“After the announcement to pivot toward Asia, China feels like it is being cornered and could be interpreting this announcement as a challenge (“parang naghahamon”). So literally, China is testing the waters,” she explained.
Santiago added that China’s other tactic would be to stir things up in Association of Southeast Asian Nations, dividing the group between its allies and parties it has been engaged in territorial disputes with.
In July, Cambodia frustrated Philippine officials’ attempts to call attention to China’s intrusion in Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal) during an Asean meeting expected to come up with a joint statement on the matter.
“China wants to hold Asean by the neck because it has allies in the group. Meanwhile, it also has the Philippines and other members affected by the dispute over the West Philippine Sea,” Santiago noted.
“China does not favor a unified Asean, it would rather that the group become fragmented. That’s why it also insists on talking to other claimants to territories in the area separately. United we stand, divided we fall,” she added.
Chinese state media announced that police in Hainan province would be given authority beginning January 1 to search vessels that pass through the South China Sea.
The announcement came at the heels of protests aired by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and India over the map on the new Chinese electronic passport that depicts disputed areas as belonging to China.
Manila specifically objected to the inclusion of China’s so-called nine –dash-line claim to virtually all territories in the South China Sea that includes Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly island chain that the Philippines partially claims.
The Philippines and Vietnam have refused to stamp visas on the Chinese e-passports.
Senate foreign relations chair Loren Legarda believes Malacañang’s appointment of a new ambassador to Beijing would help ease tensions between China and the Philippines.
“Having an ambassador or an official representative to help clear issues would help. Also…we should not tolerate that kind of treatment, having them climb aboard our ships for inspection and sending us out of disputed seas,” she said in another radio interview.
“Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said China has been appearing displeased by US military’s plan to “pivot” its presence to Asia following the planned pull-out of troops from Iran and Afghanistan.”
IRAN? IRAN? Idiots in power across the globe. How did this come to be?
Go to the link and select the United States, India and China. India’s population is poised to greatly exceed China’s. The United States is not the long term primary adversary of China.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577009922309104512.html
Obama was humiliated at the Asian meetings last week. Whatever Obama does about this will be wrong. He will either do too little or recklessly lurch and make things worse..
Jump forward 20 years. It's 1918. Who is the greatest power in the world? Who owns almost all the gold on the planet? That would be the United States. Britain was on its way to losing its empire. A world power still, but hardly a superpower.It can happen that quickly.
The US today in 2012? We've been pushed off the platform. Our time has passed, and we will not recover our glory. The world has changed.
We may not realize that -- but China knows.
The land under the South China Sea is rich in OIL!!!
True.
End “free trade” now.
Bring back US jobs, and put Americans back to work.
http://williambanzai7.blogspot.com
But I don't see politicians who have any interest in any of that.
The essence of freedom is found in free trade ... and the essence of slavery is found in found in the absence of free trade bartering between employers and employees.
>>Obama was humiliated at the Asian meetings last week. Whatever Obama does about this will be wrong. He will either do too little or recklessly lurch and make things worse..<<
Our weak and stupid president emboldens our enemies.
Retarded sentiments like this are why the Philippines continues to dawdle over a much-needed defense upgrade. Uncle Sam couldn't care less, given that American territory isn't part of the dispute. And yet she has more or less come to the conclusion that this is a dispute between China and the US having nothing to do with the Philippines. Where do they find these defectives and how do they get elected to office?
We have become a third world nation this was not the country i wanted to grow old in
Translation - China, keep pushing the boundaries, we're not ready to act yet.
“The essence of freedom is found in free trade ... and the essence of slavery is found in found in the absence of free trade bartering between employers and employees.”
How is it free trade bartering when employers have unlimited labor supply. (Immigration, H1-B visa, Outsourcing, etc).
They have rigged the laws of supply and demand for labor.
Also how do you feel about the new Superpower our policies have created? They may prove to be more dangerous than the old Soviet Union.
But Hey the Employers were able to get cheap labor for a time and that’s all that’s important to you.
I read a story in past few days which reports that the new Chinese passports show Taiwan and another disputed territory (the Sinkaku Islands I believe) as part of Chinese holdings.
Could it be that China is a rote student of history with no capacity to foresee changes, but hostage to its 5000 year history of continuity and therefore unable to see the USA is not going to follow the Soviet Union, or Russia into non-superpower status for the immediate future. The debt we owe them does not include economic suicide and will probably be called void by the incumbent of the Oval Office within the next four years should these aggressions continue to cost us more Money in response.
It is a simplistic fact that every employee has some variable economic value to their employer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.