Posted on 04/25/2019 6:20:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Indonesia joined Vietnam recently to challenge President Duterte’s doctrine in the South China Sea.
That’s the notion that any Asian-Pacific country that dares to tame Beijing’s ambitions to control the entire South China Sea will face war with China.
This week, Indonesia drew a “red line” in the South China Sea establishing fishing rights in areas where China claims “overlapping” rights, according to BenarNews.
Indonesia’s move comes roughly two years after the country renamed its maritime region in the southwest part of the South China Sea as the “North Natuna Sea,” asserting sovereignty in the area.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has taken its own steps to tame Beijing’s ambitions to control the South China Sea. Last month, Hanoi pushed for a pact to outlaw many of China’s ongoing activities in the South China Sea. Like the building of artificial islands, blockades and offensive weaponry such as missile deployments; and the Air Defense Identification Zone—a conduct code China initiated back in 2013.
These activities are part of Beijing’s efforts to assert complete dominance in the South China Sea and push the US out.
“Although China does not want to usurp the United States’ position as the leader of the global order, its actual aim is nearly as consequential,” says Oriana Skylar Mastro in “The Stealth Superpower: How China Hid Its Global Ambitions,”published in the January/February issue of Foreign Affairs. “In the Indo-Pacific region, China wants complete dominance.; it wants to force the United States out and become the region’s unchallenged political, economic, and military hegemon.”
That’s why America has stepped up patrols in disputed South China Sea waters, asserting its willingness to keep the waterway an open sea to all commercial and military vessels.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Duterte is a pragmatist. China could stomp on Indonesia and Vietnam like cockroaches caught in the kitchen when the light is turned on.
Philippine President Duterte wants peaceful co-existence with China. The only problem is this — it has come at a price — the Chicoms ignoring the UN Law of the Sea and in effect, capturing several islands that belongs to the Philippines.
RE: China could stomp on Indonesia and Vietnam like cockroaches caught in the kitchen when the light is turned on.
So, didn’t China stomp on them when these two countries asserted their rights to defend their islands like the former did to the Philippines?
I like this. This is good for us. I think sooner or later, Taiwan is going to be an issue, BUT
Once people have had a taste of freedom, as is happening in these countries, try to take that freedom away and see what happens.
Same in Venezuela. Let the people fight this out. Iran too. Give them some support and they will rise up.
Vietnam beat China in their last war. They hate each other. Duterte is a communist who likes China.
China got it’s butt kicked by the Vietnamese in 79’. 40 years ago. It’s imperative the 4-5 nations get together to stand up to the chicoms. Won’t happen. They’ll wait for the US to do the heavy lifting. Those little nations are disputing the issue amongst themselves. Perhaps Japan(and Taiwan) ought to go nuclear.
RE: Vietnam beat China in their last war.
How did that happen again?
“China could stomp on Indonesia and Vietnam“
The Vietnamese handed China their asses not too long ago.
L
“Vietnam beat China in their last war.”
Probably would not happen if there were to be a re-run. OTOH, the Chinese might opt for a limited border incursion that would allow the Vietnamese to ‘claim’ victory after the Chinese packed up & went home. And that is pretty much what happened last time.
Did Duterte declare War on Canada yet because of recycling ? LOL
I will hand one thing positive to some of China’s recent activities in the South China Sea; but this one area alone and no other.
Unlike the U.S. China is not behaving politely or sticking to what the U.N. wants when it comes to dealing with pirates on the open seas. The U.S. has hamstrung itself keeping to “international ‘treaties’ “ on piracy. China is not doing that. When Chinese patrol ships observe or are notified of pirate activities in the international shipping lanes of the South China sea, it blasts them out of the water, no questions asked. Sorry folks, and I am as American as the next Conservative, but when it comes to the pirates harassing international shipping, I agree with China - they have no “rights”.
RE: Vietnam beat China in their last war.
“How did that happen again?”
Seek and you shall find .. !
Agree.
Doesn't necessarily prove that either Indonesia or Vietnam are particularly courageous.
They may merely be staking out fishing rights / establishing legal claims that they fully intend to later cede to Peking in exchange for some "bone" that the Communists might throw them.
Regards,
RE: Seek and you shall find .. !
I did, and by all accounts, it was a stalemate.
Both sides lost tens of thousands of lives ( Vietnam mostly since those who died were mostly civilians ).
I guess, you can say Vietnam “won” because China did not occupy Vietnam.
[Duterte is a pragmatist. China could stomp on Indonesia and Vietnam like cockroaches caught in the kitchen when the light is turned on.]
[China got it’s butt kicked by the Vietnamese in 79’. 40 years ago.]
Genghis Khan, probably the greatest conquerer ever, never had a problem with guerilla warfare, even though the lands he conquered included Afghanistan. Why? Because his army simply slaughter all civilians, including their babies, who dare to fight against them.
In the Vietnam war, the Americans struggled against the Vietcongs. When China fought Vietnam, China simply romped through North Vietnam (north of Hanoi), transport removable factories/infrastructure back to China while destroying those that they cannot bring back. One crack Vietnamese division that was rushed back from Cambodia wisely decided to settle into prepared defensive positions near Hanoi instead of reinforcing the surrounded troops north of Hanoi. Why didn’t China has problem with Vietcong guerilla fighters?
When I first visited China in the 1990s, a retired veteran bitterly told me that his Major was killed by a ~6 year old Vietnamese kid holding a secret pistol when he was giving out food to the kid. Apparently, this is not an isolated incident. Very soon, they enacted Genghis Khan’s strategy. North Vietnamese villagers encountered were simply labeled as “civilian militia”, treated as combatants and showed no mercy. PLA never encounter anymore guerilla problems because there were no civilians left to provide the guerilla with information, shelter and food!
In the 1980s, there is no internet and no international reporter who has access to report on this. Chinese body counts, which included “civilian militia combatants”, concluded that enemy casualties were in excess of 10 times PLA losses.]
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