China military warns of confrontation over seas

Reuters ^ | April 21, 2012 | Chris Buckley

[Free ThinkerNY]

(Reuters) - China's military warned the United States on Saturday that U.S.-Philippine military exercises have raised risks of armed confrontation over the disputed South China Sea in the toughest high-level warning yet after weeks of tensions.

China's official Liberation Army Daily warned that recent jostling with the Philippines over disputed seas where both countries have sent ships could boil over into outright conflict, and laid much of the blame at Washington's door.

This week American and Filipino troops launched a fortnight of annual naval drills amid the stand-off between Beijing and Manila, who have accused each other of encroaching on sovereign seas near the Scarborough Shoal, west of a former U.S. navy base at Subic Bay.

The joint exercises are held in different seas around the Philippines; the leg that takes place in the South China Sea area starts on Monday.

"Anyone with clear eyes saw long ago that behind these drills is reflected a mentality that will lead the South China Sea issue down a fork in the road towards military confrontation and resolution through armed force," said the commentary in the Chinese paper, which is the chief mouthpiece of the People's Liberation Army.

[Lazamataz]

In Fallout 3, some people who are effected by radiation don't die from it. They SMELL like they are dead, and they LOOK like they are dead, but they are sentient, 'normal' people.

With indefinate lifespans.

[central_va]

There is no reason for China to ever attack us unless eventually they perceive us as extremely weak which is unlikely.

Change China to Japan and it is 1941 all over again....Fools fail to pay attention to history repeating itself.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There are far too many submarines in the world.

I propose that the Office of Naval Research (ONR) develop some means by which a submarine would both lose propulsion, yet be unable to surface, being inexorably drawn downward, descending past crush depth.

A type of netting would work well for the first part, as once tangled in their propellers they would lose propulsion.

The second part might be accomplished with two or more heavy concrete blocks, attached to the net by cable, with some type of powerful motor to “reel in” the cable when it snags its prey.

The blocks and net could be pre-positioned, and the net could remain too deep to be noticed until a signal is sent to raise it.

[Porterville]

You don't attack to disrupt. Iraq and Afghanistan were the exception.

[Jeff Head]

Bethesda Game Studios makes some fantastic games. I was very into Elder Scrolls IV, Oblivion, and now have Skyrim too. Unbelievable graphics.

Too bad they do not have a networkable play option...but good enough without it anyway.

[Jeff Head]

Mk-46 works very well in this regard.

[A Navy Vet]

Not only did they kick us out Clark, but also Naval Station Subic Bay. I always thought that some day they would learn to regret it. I’ve often wondered what happened to Olongapo and Subic City and where all those “hostesses” went and legit workers went.

[A Navy Vet]

Granted, but no one had nuclear weapons in that era. That has change the dynamics and politics of the world. While I don't trust the current Chi-Com regime, I've watched them quickly become more accessible to capitalism once they got Hong Kong. Unless a military coup occurs, I believe the old guard will slowly fade away. Just look at how little influence they have over the Norks nowadays.

Again, I was a street activist against Chi-Coms.

[ex-snook]

"If they keep up like they have been doing though, in another 5-10 years they will be. "

Ah c'mon everyone knows that our most threatening enemies are the ones who have to steal our planes, build improvised bombs and blow themselves up. This is the war on terrorism we've been at for 10 years We free trade with China. We wouldn't do that if they were building capability, or would we?

[A Navy Vet]

"A Navy Vet, while it is absolutely true that the Red Chinese have abandoned the Moaist and Stalinist economic models that ultimately led to the fall of the Soviet Union, what they are adotping is very much market driven, but not really a free-market model. I believe it is much more akin to what the Germans adopted prior to World War II. It is more fascist in nature and if they can get their people behind it for Nationalistic Prode and Defense purposes, it can be very dangerous. It took most of the world to put the Nazis down and there were only 60-70 million of them."

Don't get me wrong, I don't support the current China regime with their many oppressive policies. However, their "free-market" model is more open than most know. I follow their economic trends because of being a global investor.

As for the Nazis, they didn't have Trident subs to deal with. Yours and the poster's above statement about history repeating itself is not valid in this nuclear age. With all the China government faults (plenty), they are not suicidal, unlike the Norks and various Islamist regimes.

I may be naive, but I think China's leadership wants to live and prosper. They've seen the writing on the wall since Hong Kong and are changing by the day. The old guard will be gone within the next 5-10 years. Yes, some politicos/military may fight it, but once people get a taste of liberty and prosperity, governments fall. They are getting that taste of freedom daily.

Think how many nations have followed our example since 1776.
Unfortunately, once the populace sees what government can do for them the old circle continues, as seen by the EU and the USA.

As stated on my above post, look at how many western companies are doing business with them. Their biggest problem on the NYSE is not adhering to certain financial rules that get them kicked of the exchange. They bring in western auditors and fix their problems and allowed back. The regime is also allowing their people to own land and start/own businesses daily. Quite a change from their past totalitarian mindset. I don't believe their economic policies are "fascist". Understand the argument, but it's a different age for economies. Even though they call themselves communists, they are heading towards a European socialist economic model.

"...That’s why we need to reign them in now, while we still can and while we still exert such power over their economy."

I don't believe they are the threat any more. Nations/leadership change - some for the better as in Viet Nam (much investment happening there); some for the worse as in Iran and North Korea and the "Arab Spring" muslim countries. Venezuela and Cuba are lost for the time being. That may change, also.

"It is true that they are building a huge amount of our products, and that there is a massive impbalance, bt they are dependent on that matrket utterly. They would wuickly go bankrupt if there was any chance that we were moving towards idling their manufacturing in favor of our own. We can ease into that and slow them down to a point of reducing the threat markedly iof we have the will to do so."

Agreed. I wish that our regulation/tax/immigration policies would revert to encourage American manufacturing. Guess I'm not a "Hopey and Changey" person. I want us to relive our glory days of being the strongest economic and military power, although we still are just barely.

Take care. If you want to talk privately, please FReepmail.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

One should always consider the importance of plausible deniability.

In the last few months before it fell, I believe the Soviet Union lost four submarines, with the assumption that they suffered the same mechanical failure. If, say, a half dozen of China’s best submarines all went bloop in just a few days, with no indication prior to a loud noise when they got too deep, there is little or nothing China could do, other than fret.

But it would do much to take them down a few pegs as far as willingness to engage in aggression.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

“Those darned Krakens!”

[PapaBear3625]

Bluster. They are not ready to conront the US Navy yet.

They don't need to fight us, if pushing their weight around causes us to retreat without a fight.

As in Sun Tsu's "The Art of War", the epitome of skill is to win without fighting, by destroying the enemy's willingness to fight you.

[dog breath]

I still think the Chinese have too much to lose by a real war but that doesn’t mean we can let them bully, bluff and intimidate their way into more power. I do understand your point that you can never assume anything with such a government. Even if a monster tries real hard to look less like a monster it is never the less still a monster.