Posted on 10/15/2015 11:41:25 AM PDT by blam
Tyler Durden
10/15/2015
Earlier this week, US officials indicated that they are set to go through with a plan to sail warships around China’s man-made islands in the Spratlys.
“It’s just a matter of time when it happens,” one government source told WSJ.
Over the course of the last six months, we’ve seen China’s land reclamation efforts go from oddity, to spectacle, to alleged “provocation”, to excuse for war as Washington feels compelled to come to the aid of its allies in the South Pacific who cried foul after it became apparent that this was no “normal” dredging effort.
In short, China has created some 3,000 acres of new sovereign territory and the US claims Beijing is effectively trying to redraw maritime boundaries on the way to establishing new military outposts. For its part, China denies the allegations and has responded with a peculiar mix of veiled threats (tweaking the wording of its official maritime strategy), not-so-veiled threats (telling a US spy plane with a CNN crew on board to “go now”), and humorous propaganda (a series of pictures from Fiery Cross depicting women, puppies, and gardens).
Despite efforts to de-escalate the matter when Xi visited the US this month, Beijing looks set to draw a line in the sand (no pun intended) when it comes to allowing the US to sail warships near the islands. Here’s AFP with more:
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
Considering Obama’s record against the “JV Team”, I don’t think messing with China is a wise idea.
Any Free Traitors™ care to comment?
Under normal circumstances I might say, “bring it.”
But.. Obama.
The Chinese know he won’t do a damn thing and have made their move into these islands before the next POTUS is elected.................
Let’s see. Economy in deep trouble, unemployment high, scandals - how’s about a war distraction?
China predicted war with the USA regarding the Spratly Islands.
And somebody, technically, only has a little over a year left in office.
What could possibly go wrong?
You can take that to the bank.
Pei-Ping.
Don't be so quick to condemn this option. After all, they might nuke DC.
"He said a Chinese F-8 fighter sent to intercept the aircraft had bumped the U.S. plane in the process. The collision appeared accidental, he said. "
"The plane was based out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. Ford said it was over international waters when the incident occurred about 9:15 a.m. Sunday (8:15 p.m. EST Saturday)."
Several orders of magnitude different.
ANY battle group sent by the US Navy will be ready and able to completely humiliate the Chinese.
And, they will take a political humiliation over a military one any day.
Granted. But then, the Chinese are not threatening to fire on a US Capital Ship in known international waters, they are threatening to fire on a US Capital Ship in CONTESTED waters.
There is no historical or international law that supports anything China has claimed here. And they know it.
They are bluffing and the USN knows it.
Because the USN knows that to strike a US battle group 500-600 miles from their nearest mainland base in China is folly that the PLAN and PLAAF cannot back up.
If this was the Yellow Sea, it might be different. But even then the USS G Washington battle group, as little as 5 years ago, sailed within 100 miles of Bejing and conducted flight operations.
Not a single Chinese aircraft came out to play. Not one.
I agree with you. My question is the reverse true with Hussein in office? We do know for a fact he is supporting al-Nusra Front which is Al-Quada. Two birds with one stone?
Is the question whether Obama would order some kinetic response to the Chinese firing?
He would know about it after the fact.
The only question is: Will he allow the US Navy to do what it has done for over 200 years to assert freedom of navigation?
Obama has shown considerable deference to the USN in these matters.
Twice battle groups have sailed "provocatively" into the Yellow Sea while he has been in office.
I don't think Obama wants a showdown with the defense establishment over these matters. He's used up all that capital with the homo thing.
you say that as though his goals are liberal ones.
While that may be true, they are claiming these are CONTESTED waters.
One wonders if the following has anything to do with them starting to 'contest' that area ?
As expected, details of this national intelligence capability are closely held, but much of it is likely based on the successful implementation of the earlier Coast Watch South program.
With heavy U.S. assistance, the Philippines created a network of monitoring stations combining radar, maritime surveillance and radio/data networks that provides a real-time strategic and tactical “picture” of oceanic traffic in the Southern Philippines—the so-called Sulawesi Sea Triangle. That area is a hotbed of illicit trafficking by sea and a favored logistical trail for transnational insurgent forces that prowl the region.
When completed in 2015, the west-facing Coast Watch chain will monitor the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), extending 200 nm into the contested Spratly Islands group.
In the future, additional monitoring chains will cover the Northern and Eastern facing portions of the country as well.
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