East China Sea: Dress Rehearsal for Invasion?

realcleardefense ^ | 8/30/16 | Crowell

[pabianice]

...“Relations with China are becoming noticeably wors[e] because China is trying to change the status quo,” Kishida lectured Cheng, who looked embarrassed by the media presence. He said the Diaoyu, as China calls them, were Chinese territory and the two nations should “strive to reach a solution.”

Japan has become used to Chinese Coast Guard intrusions into its claimed territorial waters. On the average of once every two weeks, two or three Chinese ships slip into Senkaku waters. They stay for a couple hours then leave.

But there had been nothing like what happened August 8 when a flotilla of more than 230 “fishing boats” escorted by up to 28 Chinese Coast Guard and other law enforcement vessels virtually surrounded the Senkaku islands for several days.

It was not immediately clear exactly what message the Chinese were trying to convey, although Tokyo has been very vocal in supporting the Philippines in its legal action against China resulting in the July 11 ruling that confirmed all of Manila’s charges.

Was the latest intrusion a dress rehearsal for war?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Last Ship’s latest episode mirrors this conflict.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Phillipines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA = The Western Pacific Treaty Organisation

[Gay State Conservative]

Japan,South Korea,the Philippines,Thailand and even Vietnam have good reason to be afraid.Very afraid!

[Gay State Conservative]

South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA = The Western Pacific Treaty Organisation

With a Democrat in office in DC the other members of such an alliance know that the treaty wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on.

[tgusa]

The Chinese would do well to remember their history with the Japanese...

[tgusa]

The Chinese would do well to remember their history with the Japanese...

[Uncle Sam 911]

Are the chinese really willing to gamble everything? Amazing. They have lost their minds.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

Agreed.

It'll all happen too late, there'll be holdouts and grandstanders, we'll have our backs to the wall by the time the ink dries .. but it's gonna happen.

Can you imagine how many spoilt rotten single male children are in the PLA officer corps? 'I want an X-Box .. I want an iPhone .. I want Taiwan.'

[Boogieman]

I think worries about Chinese aggression are fundamentally misplaced. The Chinese are already the dominant power in Asia, militarily and economically. They have nothing to gain by invading their neighbors and everything to lose.

When they declare a huge swathe of ocean “territorial waters”, or make a big show of military exercises to claim worthless unoccupied rocks, I believe they are doing that because those are easy ways to flex their muscle that they know will NOT provoke a war. It’s all theater to impress their own subjects, not actual aggressive moves that one would make if they wanted a war.

[servantboy777]

This ain’t your father’s China. The Chi-coms are oodles more powerful than in WWI/II.

Japan better begin beefing up a bit.

[Boogieman]

Any such alliance would be useless without India. They’re the only country (besides Russia) that could compete with China in a land war, in terms of sheer manpower.

[Jack Hammer]

Things out that way are a little tense.

[DoughtyOne]

This was easily predictable clear back into the mid 1990s, when I did so..

Folks laughed, got angry, rolled on the floor kicking and screaming...

We can attribute this all to our trade policy with China, which modernized it, gave it a massive income stream, and was sure to result in hostility.

I said many of our youth would wind up dying due to our trade with China.  And in time, it will happen.  Millions will die, our citizens and the citizens of other nations.

Free Trade (as we have implemented it) deserves the three raspberry salute.


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[Forward the Light Brigade]

Why would China Do this? Look at History. They have a great deal of Hate towards China because of the 21 million deaths caused by Japan in WW II. China is undergoing great change as they slide from Communism to Capitalism—lots of poor Chinese living little better than the peasants of long ago are not happy. To keep them in place a popular war would unify the people. A war that would be quick, recover “lost” Land, and prove Chinese weapons and their new fleet. Japan is weak due to the earthquake and lower population numbers. They have lost their samurai traditions. The new generation will not fight like their grandfathers did. The USA needs China and will try to urge Japan to Go to the UN for a peace settlement—one that will give these Islands to China. The war—I predict—will last only 3 to 6 weeks. Japan will stand alone—USA will not help, South Korea will be kept in check by North Korea.
Vietnam is too far away, Russia will side with China.

[sarge83]

Except all these countries know obama will not honor the treaty.

[Tallguy]

It’s a little more than that. Fir one thing a fishing fleet like the one described parked off the Senaku Islands could strip the waters of any meaningful fish for a lengthy period. Those resources belong to Japan by internationally recognized treaties.

[Mr. Jeeves]

South Korea and Singapore will side with China, too. Japan is short on friendly neighbors.

[Boogieman]

Show me a war that started over a fishing fleet and maybe you’ll convince me...

[Tallguy]

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Pig-War/