Posted on 10/16/2015 9:32:31 PM PDT by Mariner
China will never "recklessly" resort to the use of force in the South China Sea, a senior Chinese general said on Saturday, amid tensions over Beijing's building of islands in the disputed waters.
China's relations with several Southeast Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Vietnam who have competing claims in the South China Sea, have been strained over Beijing's increasingly assertive tone on territorial claims in an area through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually.
Beijing's move last year to step up the creation of artificial islands, which it says are mostly for civilian purposes, has drawn strong criticism from Washington.
Fan Changlong, one of the vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission which controls the Chinese armed forces and is headed by President Xi Jinping, told a high-level security forum that China had sought to avoid conflict.
"We will never recklessly resort to the use of force, even on issues of sovereignty, and have done our utmost to avoid unexpected conflicts," Fan told the forum, attended by Southeast Asian defense ministers.
Fan reiterated that China's islands "will not affect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea" and said recently completed lighthouses on Cuarteron Reef and Johnson South Reef in the Spratly archipelago "have already begun to provide navigation services to all nations".
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
That’s what we thought—just before the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!
What a sh!tty way to commit suicide.
Don't forget, these ships can shoot down a few missiles. And, after all, it's about who would ultimately prevail on the full scale of escalations, right?
They were sleeping on the job.
And every sailor since has sworn to never let that happen again.
Kinda like the Marines at Chosin Reservoir.
Right. But I’d hate to see even one American ship being taken out. But that is the price.
Every sailor swears to never sleep on the job?
Yeah, like the PT 109. They were sleeping on the job.
It was a metaphor about readiness.
I got a letter from our friends at the IRS today. Not satisfied with pound of flesh they took last April, now they want a limb.
Give them what they want and be nice or they will put you in jail.
Yeah, like the PT 109. They were sleeping on the job.
Thanks for posting that assinine comment. It made me go back and reread the story of the courage jfk displayed in that shipwreck. Awesome heroism!
They can block any aircraft carrier with “fishing vessels”.
People with ill intents will tell you what they plan to do if you will just listen to them.
Taken loosely from the film “Open Trail”.
Oh. Well, no cause for concern then. Thank goodness for that. Another triumph for Obama foreign policy.
From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
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"Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants."
http://www.heritage.org/research/commentary/2005/09/war-games-russia-china-grow-alliance
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170287,00.html
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Sept 11, 2014
China and Russia to build major seaport: report
China and Russia will build one of the largest ports in north-east Asia on Russias Sea of Japan coast, reports say, in a further sign of the powerhouses growing alliance.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-11/china-and-russia-to-build-major-seaport-report/5738036
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Obama: "We Welcome China's Rise"
CBS News ^ | January 19, 2011 | Stephanie Condon
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If he were an American politician, I would take this as a threat he will resort to force. It depends on the meaning of the word “recklessly.”
Cuarteron is the Spanish word from which we get "quadroon", a person 1/4 African black and 3/4's European by descent.
Wonder how that reef got that name.
In fact, we could build bigger and better islands .... do it as business ..... "Bob's Bigger Better Sandbars" .... challenge the Chinese to a dredging race, drive deep (as in, 600') transitways through the whole South China Platform for our nuclear submarines -- how do you like that, Chang?
We could make this fun and profitable, call in the hated Halliburton to build massive islands and quay complexes, BOQ's, PX's, regular big-ass naval bases like Subic and Roosie Roads. Really annoy the Chinese.
And totally counterfeit their claim to "own" the South China Sea, water column, wave tops, and all.
Go to hell, Chicoms.
Well, would serve them right.
Something needs to wake them up.
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