So you don’t have much of a problem of having our ships sailing into China’s back yard, international waters they may be? It looks like that’s asking for trouble, isn’t it? I’m just curious.
You said — “So you don’t have much of a problem of having our ships sailing into China’s back yard, international waters they may be? It looks like that’s asking for trouble, isn’t it? I’m just curious.”
No, not at all...
I guess a lot of people don’t realize that China has been trying for a very long time to “close up” International waters and make it their “territorial waters” by “facts on the ground”.
But, the U.S. has had a very long-term policy of keeping International waters open in that area (where China has been trying to “close them up”) for decades. The U.S. has been continuously patrolling these waters with U.S. warships for decades. This is nothing new...
If they cease doing this — then that gives China the implicit agreement that they can have these waters as their own private territorial waters...
It is not as if this is a random act by the U.S. just to irritate China.
The South China Sea, from the Malacca Straight between Singapore and Sumatera in the south, to the Bashi Channel between Luzon and Taiwan in the north is a very busy and important sea trade route from/to the middle east and the countries in the North Pacific, including the U.S. This trade route has been international waters and is recognized by all nations as a sea trade route.
China has long disputed this and now make an effort to expand their area of control to include all the South China Sea. If they are successful, China will be able to control shipping through the South China Sea and to the Philippines, Viet Nam, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the United States,and to use that control to extort political and economic concessions from all the countries that rely on that route for economic trade. Think oil tankers from the Middle East.
Their success would lead to further claims later. As an Uncle of mine said about his property expansion plans, He said that he only wanted to get that which was next door. And that seems to be China’s plan also.
Please qualify the international waters within which our ships may sail without "looking for trouble." To my knowldge, US ships sailing in international waters don't typically look for a fight or "trouble" as you name it.
If legal international waters is not an adequate definition of the areas within which our ships may sail, what should be?
How would you define the backyard we should stay out of? The legal definition, China's definition, our coastline?
Remember - there are people that want to make waters that are legally "international" their property.