U.S. to boost freedom of navigation moves in South China Sea: admiral

[Little Tich]

Source: Reuters

The United States, which is worried by China's military buildup to assert dominance in the South China Sea, will increase freedom-of-navigation operations there, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

"We will be doing them more, and we'll be doing them with greater complexity in the future and ... we'll fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows," Admiral Harry Harris, head of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Command, told a hearing of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

"We must continue to operate in the South China Sea to demonstrate that that water space and the air above it is international," Harris said.

On Tuesday, Harris said China was "changing the operational landscape" in the South China Sea by deploying missiles and radar as part of an effort to militarily dominate East Asia.

China is "clearly militarizing the South China Sea. ... You'd have to believe in a flat Earth to think otherwise," Harris said in comments that coincided with a visit to Washington by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-usa-idUSKCN0VX22B

[MADem]

1. Fifty percent of the WORLD's seagoing trade passes through that region.

China is trying to turn that area into a toll road, in essence.

It simply cannot stand.

[GP6971]

2. The problem is

I don't see China backing down anytime soon. Too many nations laying claim to an area rich in minerals and China can take advantage of the differences of those nations.

[MADem]

3. Well, we can stop buying their shit, and encourage others to do the same.

Those nations need to trade, and they don't need to be begging China for permission, either.

We'll work it out. It will be a long, tough slog, though, I suspect.

[GP6971]

4. I agree

China will probably implode in one way, shape or form over time so they will be a lesser power. Still a force, but not what they are currently trying to project.

[MADem]

5. It's a weird balancing act with them.

Funny--I've been having this conversation in some way, shape or form since, believe it or not, the sixties! That was back when they were still "mysterious," and everyone wore Mao hats, jackets and shoes. Boy, have they undergone some serious change in a short period of time! There are kids who just don't realize what a big deal it was when Nixon did his One Redeeming Thing and "opened China" (or perhaps more appropriately, they opened the door and said "Eh, you can come in!&quot .

They're IN the world, simply by dint of numbers. If they get too desperate, they'll lash out. There needs to be a balance where the rising tide lifts their boats, too, but we don't need them getting aggressive and having ideas of Empire--because they can afford to lose millions of people without batting an eye.

It'll have to be a rather artful dance. They need to be encouraged towards a cooperation model rather than a competition one. At the same time, though, any lack of resolve on the part of those who use that sea lane will be interpreted as weakness--and we just can't have that. It'll make matters worse. We need to be firm and fair, and so do all our trading partners and others with an interest in that end of the globe.

[GP6971]

6. One of the key barometers (for me) is China's

relationship with North Korea. North Korea survives only because of China's aid in fuel, food and probably cash. If they break with that policy, it would be huge loss of face which would reverberate throughout their territorial claims in the South China Sea. And I firmly believe China will never let that happen.

You're right...they can afford to lose millions of their citizens in a war and they wouldn't bat an eye. I'm just waiting to see North Korea's reaction to the large ROK / US military exercise schedule for next month. North Korea will do something to express their "displeasure" and China will just innocently stand by.

[MADem]

7. Yes--so much can be learned from that little sidebar, can't it?

It's like they use North Korea as a little Howdy Doody puppet that tells us how they REALLY feel, at times! And, at other times, I think they tell 'em stuff like "OK, Big Kim you're gonna give those American girls to Bill Clinton and let him take them home, now!"

Now that was a rather grueling envoy mission! Poor Bill! He was a good guy to take that on....



http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1914475,00.html

[GP6971]

8. Boy, do I remember that!!

As usual, we were played for chumps and Clinton fell right into it. True, we got them back which was good, but at what cost? In some ways, we are our own worst enemy as far as North Korea is concerned.

We're heading back over to the ROK during the height of the exercise and people are telling me we shouldn't go. As I told family when I was stationed there and then when my son was, don't even think to panic until you hear the notice for non-essential personnel and dependents to evacuate. Until that time comes, life is normal. Way of life in the ROK.

[7962]

9. Precisely. People need to look at a map to see the scope of this.

China is pretty much trying to "claim" the entire ocean from border to border out there.

[Nitram]

10. We need one big typhoon to take out some of those artificial islands. nt