Posted on 10/12/2015 5:23:26 AM PDT by HomerBohn
As if poking the Russian bear wasn’t enough, the Obama administration has now chosen to rile the Chinese dragon.
In a move meant to project U.S. military power to the Chinese government, American officials announced that U.S. Navy warships will sail directly through a Chinese claimed 12-nautical mile zone in the disputed region of the South China Sea.
The contested waters around the Spratly Islands, which China claims as its own sovereign territory, have been the cause of intense controversy. The U.S. has refused to recognize China’s territorial claims and believes the disputed area resides in international waters.
Last month, at a joint press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama said the two held a “candid discussion” about the disputed territory.
“I conveyed to President Xi our significant concerns over land reclamation, construction and the militarization of disputed areas, which makes it harder for countries in the region to resolve disagreements peacefully,” Obama said.
“I indicated that the United States will continue to sail, fly and operate anywhere that international law allows,” Obama added.
“Islands in the South China Sea since ancient times are China’s territory,” Xi resolutely stated.
The rapid development and scale of the artificial islands created by China have raised alarm bells in numerous other states in the region, a number of which stake their own territorial claims in the area.
China is essentially fortifying its strength projection and defensive capabilities in an area that had been relatively inaccessible before now. The fact that a rising superpower is claiming ownership over an area of strategic importance adjacent to their own coast is relatively unsurprising.
According to a report in the New York Times:
So far the country has built port facilities, military buildings and an airstrip on the islands, and recent imagery shows evidence of two more airstrips under construction. The installations bolster China’s foothold in the Spratly Islands, a disputed scattering of reefs and islands in the South China Sea more than 500 miles from the Chinese mainland.
The decision by the U.S., to revert to a projection of military strength in the region, reveals a complete diplomatic failure of the recent talks between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping over this issue during Xi’s recent visit to the White House.
Although the islands are too small to support large military units, they allow for the Chinese to project a sustained sea and air presence in the area.
The U.S. position is that the Chinese are behaving in a manner inconsistent with international law, according to Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift.
“It’s my sense that some nations view freedom of the seas as up for grabs, as something that can be taken down and redefined by domestic law or by reinterpreting international law,” Swift said, according to a report by Reuters.
“Some nations continue to impose superfluous warnings and restrictions on freedom of the seas in their exclusive economic zones and claim territorial water rights that are inconsistent with (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). This trend is particularly egregious in contested waters.”
Additionally, an anonymous defense source told Foreign Policy that the U.S. was determined to put on a “show of military might.”
“It’s not a question of if, but when,” the official was quoted as saying.
According to the Guardian:
Many experts believe relations between Washington and Beijing have hit their lowest point in years, with tussles and friction over a growing list of issues including cyber espionage, currency manipulation, and human rights.
The U.S. would be severely mistaken if it believes the sending of a warship through what China perceives as sovereign territory will be perceived as anything other than offensive aggression by an imperialist power.
The U.S. is already engaged in proxy wars with Russia in Ukraine and Syria, which have the potential to devolve into an open conflict between the superpowers. Attempting to intimidate the Chinese in their own backyard seems like an extremely ill conceived move at this time.
American actions will inevitably only serve to bring the Russo-Sino strategic military alliance into closer consultation with one another in an attempt to stem U.S. global imperialism.
“[It is] hard to see how this ends well, but the only other option for the US is to concede, which will materially damage US credibility in Asia, be viewed by[Chinese] policymakers as further evidence that the US is in terminal decline and be an additional impetus for Beijing to push harder against the US in Asia,” China expert Bill Bishop wrote in his Sinocism newsletter on Friday.
While this may be extremely good news for defense contractors and weapons manufacturers, it’s extremely dangerous news for the rest of the world. One strategic miscalculation could result in events spiraling drastically out of control.
After being blessed with great leaders for over 200 years, America now has a usurper that despises the Country, who is allowed to remain because we have the WORST and MOST CORRUPT congress in our history!
This type of international brinkmanship is only a "good one" is the people playing the game are competent and capable; neither of which are the case here. From the go, the obama regime's MO for international relationship has basically been "we'll show up and everyone will be so impressed by our brilliance". That works great in academia and progressive echo chambers. It is not, as has been proven time and again over the last 7 years, a viable strategy in the real world. When obama's panties finally get in to such a wad that he can't stand it, he's going to start trying to play big boy with people who only care about power and are willing to kill people in order to gain, or maintain it. Our country's leadership is out of it depths and a lot of people have, and are going to die becasue of it.
Part of me wonders if some part of Obama wants to kick off a global thermonuclear war. That way, he can achieve his life’s goal of being President for life over a “fundamentally transformed” America. There might be no one left to debate his legacy.
We are already in WWIII. That is the current war between Islam and the rest of the world. The problem is that most politicians are not yet aware of the war.
“Methinks you to be a leftist troll.”
LOL. Tell my wife I’m too liberal. And then check my history on FP.
In this case, asserting our right to freedom of the seas is very important against an aggressive China. Obama doesn’t get much right. But in this case, Obama actually does. If you encourage a dog with treats, it responds by repeating the good behavior. Try it with Obama this time. Maybe he’ll do one more thing right before he leaves office. That would be one more than I expect.
“This type of international brinkmanship is only a “good one” is the people playing the game are competent and capable; neither of which are the case here.”
This is the best argument against what I said above. I still think he got one right.
The problem is everything Ozero does is for his perceived political advantage. He looks so weak on the world stage he is taking this step to appear strong. So we lose a few lives and ships. What does he care.
Oh No. No more cheap Chicom stuff at Wal-mart.
It seems to me, that’s what an enemy islamist in his position would do.
His own survival is of no consequence so long as he can witness its inevitability.
By all means let’s capitulate on international law and give China everything they want.
“Actually, this move is the one intelligent thing he’s done.”
Agree.
Congress has failed us. The press has failed us. Obama would be impeached and removed from office if these two groups did their jobs.
I’ll wager one of the protocols of the recently signed Trans Pacific Partnership requires the United States to provide ‘security’ for its trading partners in the Pacific.
Who the hell is toys idiot author? China builds a few artifical islands, sticks in a Chinese flag, and says they control that huge swath of ocean now as territorial water?
The only sane thing is for us to sail through tomorrow.
This is about the only military action I’ve seen in the last decade that is a traditional challenge we need to stand firm on.
No, the Chinese will bitch and whine. But they won’t sink a ship. That’s why doing it right away matters.
Accepting the new Chinese rules and sailing around would make it trouble to violate in the future. But they won’t attack if we violate it now. They’ll understand it means we don’t recognize the claim.
2/3 of them are on his side and the rest, except for a handful, are spineless.
I understand the idiocy in the article, not only insofar as the writer is concerned, but we all understand what’s involved here.
China, of course, is in the wrong by building artificial islands and making the territorial claim. America is now, thanks to electing a foreign exchange student president TWICE, a paper tiger. If Chinese ships torpedo one American ship we’ll do nothing. The exercise under the present illegal administration is futile and probably deliberately so.
Giving China everything they want is what’s in the cards. The American ships sent out to draw a red line in the ocean is nothing more than window dressing. After all the admirals left are all political ones who have sold their souls to Satan for some gold braid.
No need to read the rest. We are not poking the Russian bear. We played patty cake with ISIS and showered money onto "moderate" terrorists in Syria. Russia took advantage of the power vacuum and waltzed right in. The same thing will happen with China. The statement by Obama "I indicated that it has to stop" is answered by "or else what?" which they will answer with "or else nothing"
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