BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- China opposes any military activity in the country's exclusive economic zone without its permission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei said Friday.
Hong's comment was in reference to an announcement by the U.S. and South Korea that the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier, would conduct exercises with the South Korean navy in the Yellow Sea west of the Korean peninsula. The move comes after the exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea earlier this week.
” China opposes any military activity in the country’s exclusive economic zone without its permission, “
IMO, those, including our own Government, who are placing their reliance on China to resolve this situation are clinging to a vanishingly thin reed....
China signalled its position quite clearly when its first considered action after the shelling attack was to cancel Ministerial-level meeting (Defense, IIRC) in Seoul - and this latest pronouncement pretty much reinforces that....
I’ve suspected for some time, now, that China, in its calculations (”Never assume that your adversary is making the same calculations that you are..”) sees more upside than downside, for its interests, to the situation-as-is, and possibly, even, some advantage to be gained from open hostilities....