Posted on 01/20/2018 11:09:18 AM PST by blam
The new year is barely three weeks old and already the US Navy’s “freedom of navigation” operations are eliciting furious threats of retaliation from the Chinese military.
Since President Donald Trump took office one year ago, the Navy and Air Force have increasingly sought to test the Chinese military response in the Pacific by sailing or flying within a certain perimeter – usually 12 miles – of one of China’s disputed territorial holdings in the South China Sea, according to RT.
In the latest clash, the USS Hopper missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Dao, a tiny island claimed by China, on Jan. 17.
As is common during US “Freeops,” the US destroyer didn’t solicit Beijing’s permission for entering the waters and was subsequently intercepted by the Chinese Navy, with China’s Foreign Ministry accusing the US of violating “sovereignty and security interests” as well as posing a “grave threat” to its forces stationed in the area.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with that and will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement on Saturday. He also warned US forces against further “provocative moves” for the sake of“China-US relations and regional peace and stability.”
The spokesman added that China has “indisputable” control over the territory, which is also claimed by Taiwan (itself the subject of a sovereignty dispute with the mainland) and the Philippines.
China’s Defense ministry echoed Lu’s tone in a separate statement on Saturday, stressing that the military will step up vigilance against air and sea patrols to defend national and regional peace and stability
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at newzsentinel.com ...
The Sailors were just looking for some real Chinese Food
IN YOUR FACE, CHINA!
Do we have your attention? Now quit letting fuel get to NK!
I’m mixed about it because sometimes merely acknowledging the country as a threat gives them license to power-trip. So long as this military agenda also frees our nation from their economic grip also!
Actually the US crew did not realize they were 50 miles off course, and the captain was in her quarters with the cramps.
Don’t we get points for not colliding with it?
Who is it the Anti-Pope thinks we’re fixin’ to start trading nukes with?
“Actually the US crew did not realize they were 50 miles off course, and the captain was in her quarters with the cramps.”
Now that’s funny.
Gee, ya get the feeling China has a lot of disputed territorie. I wonder how come that is...?
We don't need to ask since YOU aren't sovereign over those waters!
I disagree with the U.S. doing this with unarmed patrol aircraft.
Actually the US crew did not realize they were 50 miles off course, and the captain was in her quarters with the cramps.
>><<
That’s funny. Unfortunately.
Hey, at least they didn’t hit any other ships.
Agreed - the pentagon has a nice way of creating provocations just around budget time.
follow the money
Wouldn’t be surprised if the alerted the Chinese up front and just told them to “play along.”
All is good as long as they stay out of the shipping lanes...
Exactly
LOL
Reported without even mentioning the REAL name for the reef which is Scarborough Shoal. An uninhabited rock pile but the PRC keeps flirting with the notion of militarizing it as they have a few other reefs in the area. Anyone get the idea these guys...Newzsentinal..is pulling this straight off a Chinese web site?
The location is 123 miles from Subic Bay, well within the PI's exclusive economic zone and somewhere the PRC shouldn't be fiddling with. Dredging the lagoon and building another armed artificial island would be destabilizing to say the least.
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