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Chinese Warships Came Within 12 Miles Of U.S. Coast
On Wednesday we noted, with some alarm, that just as Xi Jinping was busy putting China’s military might on display for the entire world to observe via a massive parade (a parade which, incidentally, provided China’s weary masses with some much needed mental relief after weeks of hand-wringing over stock market meltdowns and deadly chemical explosions), the Chinese navy was spotted off the coast of Alaska. “It’s difficult to tell [what they’re doing] exactly, but it indicates some interest in the Arctic region,” a Pentagon official told WSJ, adding that, "it’s different."
To that, we said the following: “Different" indeed, as in "uprecedented", and while we won’t endeavor to jump to conclusions, we would note that the PLA hasn’t exactly been shy when it comes to challenging the US from a maritime perspective of late and of course, the US has had its ships and carriers to the east and south of China for decades, so it would appear that Xi is intent on giving Washington a taste of its own medicine.
Today, we get a bit more detail on the “incident” and as it turns out, the ships were a little closer than you might have thought. In fact, as WSJ reports, they came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast. Here’s more:
Chinese navy ships off the coast of Alaska in recent days weren’t just operating in the area for the first time: They also came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast, making a rare foray into U.S. territorial waters, according to the Pentagon.
Pentagon officials said for the first time late Thursday that the five Chinese navy ships had passed through U.S. territorial waters as they transited the Aleutian Islands, but said they had complied with international law.
Analysts saw the passage as significant as Beijing has long objected to U.S. Navy vessels transiting its territorial waters or operating in international waters just outside.
The five Chinese ships “transited expeditiously and continuously through the Aleutian Island chain in a manner consistent with international law,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Pentagon officials also confirmed that the vessels came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast.
U.S. officials believe China is building a “blue-water” navy capable of operating far from its shores, while also developing missiles and other capabilities designed to prevent the U.S. Navy from intervening in a conflict in Asia.
Many of those capabilities, including a new antiship ballistic missile, were put on display for the first time on Thursday in a military parade in Beijing to mark the surrender of Japanese forces at the end of World War II.
There seem to be several key takeaways here. First, this comes just a few weeks ahead of Xi Jinping’s first official visit to the US. That visit, as detailed on Thursday evening, may already be clouded by expectations that Washington will announce sanctions as early as next week in connection with a series of cyber attacks that allegedly emanated from China. Thus China’s maritime forays could serve to make the trip even more tense than it already would have been.
Second, China’s operations in the Aleutians need to be looked at in the context of its recent activity in the South China Sea, where Beijing has constructed some 3,000 acres of sovereign territory atop reefs in the Spratlys. What seems clear here is that the PLA is intent on projecting its ability and willingness to unilaterally do as it pleases even if that means ruffling the feathers of US allies and even the US itself along the way. Additionally, as we mentioned on Thursday, the US has operated in and around China’s territorial waters for years, so there’s a “what’s good for the goose...” element at play here as well. Amusingly, one military expert turned this on its head when he told the Journal that now, “as a matter of fairness and equity”, the US will be able to point to the Chinese navy’s operations near Alaska as a justification for sailing near China’s islands in the Spratlys: “these operations are a big step forward for U.S. interests in that Beijing now has no basis to object to similar passage through China’s territorial sea by the U.S., for instance in vicinity of China’s islands in the South China Sea.”
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the South China Sea dispute and now the traversal of US territorial waters near Alaska hardly mark the only two notable examples of the Chinese navy expanding the scope of its operations this year. Recall that during the height of the Houthis' seige on Aden, the PLA navy inexplicably showed up to evacuate civilians. Here's a look at the scope of China's expanded naval activities:
Finally, lest anyone should think that suddenly China will be prepared to accept the excuse that because the US "allowed" the Chinese navy to pass by Alaska, Beijing will suddenly take an "it's only fair" approach to US ships in Chinese waters, we'll close with the following passage, also from the WSJ piece excerpted above.
Still, experts said it was doubtful that China would suddenly stop objecting to U.S. naval ships passing through its territorial waters or conducting surveillance in nearby international waters.
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They had missile lock on Obama.....that had to be hilarious.
Message sent.
No points for them though, Obama bends over so easily.
It's only OK for foreign ships to violate a sovereign countries territory if the US does it.
Remember when they launched a missile from a sub off the coast of California and crash landed it in Washington state? Pretty funny.
BTW....you didn't hear that from me. No.....you didn't.
The exceptional country, USSA, is becoming less exceptional.
Exceptional has the same meaning as special in special education. False praise is a cheap lure.
Everyone gets a trophy… and EBT…and Social Security… free hips… gold watch and pension plan… free phone to call the hot ‘girl next door’ type or ‘pool boy’ type to play with…
12 nautical miles is technically the legal range for international waters, so no harm done there.
What I'd love to see is a chart titled, "U.S. Navy Navigates Global Expansion". It would be more of an atlas than a single-page graphic.
What difference does it make?
Obama just said the entire country would be underwater from melting glaciers by 2017
The seas are a rising. The politicians are in denial, the end is near.
The underwater part will be kind of true, the melting glacier part not so much.
Well the progressive tyrants infesting government here have yet to kill as many of their own citizens as the Chinese progressive tyrants by a long shot. So there is that. I don't think the progressive murderers infesting the US FEDGOV will ever reach the Chinese progressive murderer totals. Obirdbrain's mentor, Bill Ayers only wants 25 million Americans dead to create progressive utopia. Which wont come close to the numbers the Chinese progressives killed to reach theirs.
What you are looking at is the Chinese progressive murderers who hold the record for numbers of their own citizens killed reaching out to kill large numbers in other countries. Look at what the progressive murderers infesting the US FEDGOV do, they murder other people in foreign countries. Clinton, Bush, Obirdbrain, Hitlary, it is what progressives do.
The Chinese never have been exceptional, the US actually might have been for a time until progressives subverted the laws. Looks like your statement stands correct.
Grimaldus
All the weapons and hatred are being turned inwards, as they always were destined to be. Do you think Hillary wouldn't be Stalin if she could?
Good question SWR. Just look at her promoting American citizen deaths at the hands of her illegal alien invasion for a clue. There is the progressive led slaughter of unborn black babies that she champions....
Moar laws equal moar violence against citizens, limited government is not what progressives want, is it?
Then there is her destruction of the nations of Libya, Syria, the Ukraine, Yemen, Egypt etc..etc... and the rivers of blood flowing in those areas......
So you understand why I call her "Bloody Hands Hillary". I wish others would wake up.
Grimaldus
I want to be on your.avatar
We have always been at war with Eastasia!
We can conclude, that massage with amphibious anti-terrorist drill were not interpreted rightly. So the Chinese were forced take far more direct approach.
He was busy taking selfies.
#12 Chinese test sub launched ICBM missle off coast of California - 2010
“It’s difficult to tell [what they’re doing] exactly, but it indicates some interest in the Arctic region,”
...any "official" who would say this needs to read the Chinese Art of War. This does not in any way indicate interest in the Artic region. The Chinese could be doing this just to jack with the Pentagon, because deception and misdirection is an important Chinese strategy and has been for a thousand years. When they move, and then force the Pentagon to counter...it means they are in control. THAT may just be the only point.
Antifaschistische, it's not the Art of War, which was a hit amongst bellicose Japanese samurais (who favored tactics of deception) and later war-loving Westerners, but never impressed peace-loving China nor was part of its classics. It's more about the Go game, in which you have to surround your enemy and ultimately block him, and mainly about Deng Xiaoping's maxim "keep a low profile and bide your time, while also getting something accomplished."
That last one sure worked. Nobody saw China coming, economically or otherwise. Even nowadays, Americans still don't see China coming, even though their have her enormous military might right in front of their noses.
I read yesterday some dude who wrote, about the Beijing military parade, "these Chinese weapons must be made of cheap plastic".
I tell you, China doesn't need to pull wool over any US eyes. They still can't see her coming.
"Nobody saw China coming, economically or otherwise... "
beg to differ. it's not sooo long ago that Nixon went to China
and even before he went, there were twenty years of discussion about when the Dragon would become the biggest economy of the world... again, as it was for practically ever
Its obvious china and russia are working together to piss the usa off....russia probably didnt care if china stayed in russian waters as long ad they want.
"to piss the USA off..."
perhaps. in older days, it was called "showing your flag", and "courtesy visits" were common. the Maine in Havana's harbour, for example (opps, bad example)
but all in all, you have to remember that some stuff does not need talk to come out as coordination
squint your eyes, and you'll see three MICs at work. the Chinese, the Russian and of course the one that makes up half of this planet's spending
and what do they all three want? more sales, more toys to be used, and if possible the best prize of all: more ammo spent
and so it's important to put some popular pride into those toys, and even more put some fear in the lambs, so that they don't ask critical questions
The last thing an enemy of the USA would do is take out Obama. Obama is their best weapon against the American people.
If anything, the foriegn navy was nearby in order to protect him.
"an enemy of the USA..." enemy? who? China? seriously?
where do Chinese princelings go to study? who bought USTs up to previously unimaginable levels? where do Chinese ships go to unload their cargo and come back... empty?
if this is how enemies look like... oh, I forgot. you need enemies. otherwise you don't even understand the purpose of...
hmmmm.... kinda reminds me of this movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecPeSmF_ikc
Are you kidding? They were probably there to PROTECT Obama.
So that's what was in the background of Obama's selfie.
building a 1st class navy gotta help china GDP..thank god the chinese ships were not fishing in alaska waters- now that would be serious. DC and Peking see a way to stimulate and krugman smiles..fucks
With all of the broken windows from the chemical explosions over there, Krugman must be in a state of post orgasmic heaven.
Thats okay because the US is overtly or covertly inside other nations causing and destruction. A few naval warships cause a stir in the US. Its different when the shoe is on the other foot.
OK great there's some big threat so the US MIC needs to spend trillions more $s created out of thin air.
Maybe they should come right into California. Obama is too dumb to know what to do and Moonbeam has made his state a sanctuary state, maybe it applies to enemy combatants too? But being Chinese its possible they would not vote for social welfare so maybe its just for Mexicans?
It may take the Chinese navy to disencumber America from the damn Longshoreman union.
Have they constructed a river from the Pacific to Arcadia, CA now? You know, to millionaires row....
And a US submarine was following them the entire way and they didn't even know it.
Uh huh.
And the Coast Guard was where again?
"The five Chinese ships “transited expeditiously and continuously through the Aleutian Island chain in a manner consistent with international law,” a Pentagon spokesman said."
So let's get this straight. The Chinese navy follows international protocols to advise that they wish to transit the coastal waters of another nation, and apparently followed the rules. SO, really not news since they obviously notified the US, IN ADVANCE. An interesting escapade, but hardly overtly threatening.
Certainly they were monitored, probably by many methods, subs, NORAD, satellites, etc. This may be more than just showing the flag or a distraction. The more interesting question, since what's-his-name was also in Alaska, is if any communications or meetings took place, and with whom.
Out hunting down "drug subs"?
Well, sometimes the subs know they're following somebody.
War, war, war, war, 99 articles of war on the wall
Take one down pass it around, 98 articles of war on the wall.
Propaganda media wants everybody to embrace the warm fuzzy of war. Government wants ALL YOUR MONEY so that it can build more bombs, mortars, bullets and government contracts to keep you SAFE from the omnipresent, perpetual threat of the global boogeyman.
War, war, war, war, 97 articles of war on the wall,
Take one down pass it around, 96 articles of war on the wall.
Be afraid, very afraid, the media has determined you MUST BE AFRAID, Uncle Fraud needs your money, Uncle Fraud needs ALL OF YOUR PRODUCTIVITY to KEEP YOU SAFE!!
War, war, war, war 95 articles of war on the wall.
Uncle Fraud, eh? Mad Magazine had uncle Nutsy. Not much difference I suppose...
hey, girls need that fuzzy warm feeling of being protected by huge armies, even bigger airforces and gargantuan navies
Meh, all that hardware does not lower the cost of diapers or food!
So the USA doesnt like anyone sailing near its coast, but expects China to be delighted that the US Navy has been sailing near its coast for decades. Just a little prod from China saying that they can play the same game. Do unto others ....
Rerry rerry serry. you can blind fold them with dental floss!!!
So what?
US regularly conducts exercises near China and was illegally collecting 97 billion pieces of intelligence a month from this world per Snowden.
Shortly before the parade, the United States reported that five Chinese naval vessels had been spotted in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, seemingly coinciding with a trip to Alaska by Obama. The Western media immediately painted this as evidence of Chinese aggression.
Such complaints reek of hypocrisy. Washington, with various allies in the region, regularly carries out military exercises on China’s doorstep. These include the recently concluded “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” exercises with South Korea, which featured the largest ever joint live-fire drill conducted by South Korea.
In November 2013, the United States dangerously and provocatively sent nuclear-capable B-52 bombers into Beijing’s newly-declared Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea. Earlier this year, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for plans to be drawn up to send US planes and ships into the 12-nautical mile zone surrounding Chinese occupied territory in the South China Sea.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/09/04/chin-s04.html
No balls Chinks, do something, Chinese Navy lol we could sink those ships with wads of chewing gum.
Sure you could...just try it.
Again NO BALLS Chinks...ok maybe wad of gum was a bit much maybe the wrapper instead...No balls Chinks.
I served in Vietnam with fucking retards like you who called them dinks, gooks, and slopes. Many of thoses retards names are on the wall in D.C. . Fuck em.
Too bad you aren't on that walll, you son of a bitch,
Thank you, couldn't have said it better :-)
This is not a football game. Even if Team USSA won, the resulting Pyrrhic victory would destroy the republic. You would not want to be part of what survives.
Never underestimate your potential adversary, especially in war. The Chinese PLA will not make this mistake, so this is why the Chinese are very careful confronting the US. This is also why you should be concerned when they do, because they believe the odds are in their favor.
And yet you have no problem using slurs against the Jewish people...
Don't call the kettle black when you are a cast iron pot.
Yes but Jews are ZioNazis and genocidal psychopaths. Vietnamese are not.
Why would we want to? We might as well sink our own while we are at it. War is stupid and wasteful.
Chinese Dog and Pony show in my opinion. Not sure why anyone would think otherwise.
Chinese dog & pony stew. Mmmmm.
I am sure Obama had a secret meeting with someone from one of those boats. Obama goes to Alaska and the Chinese come within helicopter range. No challenges in our territorial waters. It is too coincidental. Topics for discussion, stop blowing up our ports, and you need to buy Chinese products in Yuan from now on.
The Chinese people are friends to the American people. Many of their children are educated in the US and stay here to work. They were instrumental in the building of this country.
I am thinking that the elitists of both countries are just trying to jerk our chains for some other specific goal.
Make that plural.
So were the Japs and Germans right before WW II!
Duh!
Right! and it was the elitists of each country that forced people of each country into the military and forced us to kill each other.
The US people have no enemies on earth (possibly save one). The US government and banks have many. Why should the people be forced to kill and die for the government and banks that enslave us with debt, watch everything we do, feed us bullsh*t propaganda, handicap our children with drugs/vaccines and create unjust laws?
As well as the Germans, and Russians
You could almost smell the fireworks from the beach.
I MOVE MY BATTLE CRUISER TO F12!
Dammit....you sunk my battleship.
As the purple lipped Mulatto pig takes selfies - he's letting the uSA slide into third world status while getting rich.
It has long been known that King Barry hates the USA - the people that voted for him should be castrated so they cant raise kids to vote for such traitors in the future.
The closest thing I can equate to what is going on in America these fays is the movie 'They Live' -
It's about a bunch of sellouts that now what is happening but are getting rich selling out.
America the Grand Experiment
GAME OVER
Please insert 25¢ to play again..
China the Grand Excrement (on the side of the road, which inevitably ends up in the river)
The appropriate response would be for a squadron of U.S. destroyerys to spend a few days cruising the Formosa (oops! Taiwan) Straits.
Brown-water nations don't build blue water navies.
After, and only after millions of Chinese peasants stop shitting on the side of the road (which inevitably ends up in the river), do they have a chance.
Better dead than Red.
What if they just want to defect? Any of those ships called Red October?
YOu have been watching too many movies, son. Not everyone wants to come to the USA
They should be sailing up the Potomac - the way our defenses work [think 9/11 and "Not Yet" Dickie Cheney] the Capitol and Whitehouse would be smoldering ruins before anyone would realize something wasn't quite right....
Just hang a big banner on the side of the carrier - "Potomac Cruise Lines" - the military will never figure that out....
Always an worrysome event when foreign military enter your sovereign territory...no matter who you are...no matter which military is foreign to you.
That is why there is a protocol about how to do it in a way that says, "We're not here to harm you."
Looks like the Chinese followed that protocol. So while concern is always warranted, no 'unusual' concern is warranted.
Yes, China is sending a message that is the equivalent of uncovering thier pistol holster within view.
But this is very common in the world. The US has done this countless times in the South China Sea, and elsewhere. Sometimes it is necessary for the US to do so. Sometimes it is necessary for China to do so.
The point where real worry is warranted is the point at which militaries cease to be the agent of enforcing agreements and become the agent of forcing or bypassing them. We're not there yet.
Did Obama skip an interest payment or something?
International waters = zzzzz
what? Our commie trade partners that we love doing business with can't pay us a visit? phtt...
All China has to do is stop supplying Walmart and kick out FoxConn,
< yawn>. If the U.S. military wants to destroy something, especially 12 miles off their own borders, they do. A big fat nothing burger.
I pray the Chinese nuke Obama next time.
"Chinese navy ships off the coast of Alaska in recent days weren’t just operating in the area for the first time: They also came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast, making a rare foray into U.S. territorial waters, according to the Pentagon."
The territorial wates of the United States only extend out to 12 nautical mile. The ships were and are in international waters.
"Chinese navy ships off the coast of Alaska in recent days weren’t just operating in the area for the first time: They also came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast, making a rare foray into U.S. territorial waters, according to the Pentagon."
The territorial wates of the United States only extend out to 12 nautical mile. The ships were and are in international waters.
And how many time(s) and within how many mile(s) does the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force come off the shores of China and Russia every day?!!!
Fans of the Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch" who were looking for autographs?
A scientific expedition to measure whether Fukushima radiation has reached that far north?
Heard the Northern Lights were pretty and wanted to see for themselves?
Wanted to defect, but only directly to Obama?
Eco Tourism?
Chinese technology, donated by the Pentagon.
Looking forward to the day when China invades Siberia for their oil and NATO stands around and laughs.
Chill out Tyler's....They're probably just crusin' down the west coast for a bit of R&R and to check out all their recently acquired Landing Zones...Errr, I mean Port Facilities....
What the fuck are these communists thinking ? Sending 5 shiploads of target practices to us. I am guessing they are totally losing control of the stock situation, and they will divert the internal attention by starting some conflicts with US. Try to use patratism to cover up the collapse of their economy. My condolences to the people on those boats...
Remembering those reports of the poor Japs who were dispatched and endeavored to the Aleutians in WWII, finding later that they mostly reverted to canibilism and perished in the place, hey Chicoms go for it, bring plenty of warm clothes, food and water.
"In fact, as WSJ reports, they came within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast." In fact? Since when has fact been an issue with Murdoch's WSJ? Hey, ZH! Get off the dope and report some real news.
Territorial waters or a territorial sea as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,[1] is a belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) from the baseline (usually the mean low-water mark) of a coastal state. The territorial sea is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, although foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it; this sovereignty also extends to the airspace over and seabed below. Adjustment of these boundaries is called, in international law, maritime delimitation.
"Washington will announce sanctions as early as next week in connection with a series of cyber attacks that allegedly emanated from China"
I thought those explosions at chemical factories were the sanctions?
Anyone see the parallel with the British Empire/Imperial Germany prior to WWI? One was an established but declining naval empire, the other a land-based up-and-coming manufacturing giant with international ambitions.
The ships were in international waters, and the response from the Pentagon indicates that our own Navy knows this.
CHINA is making a statement to the USA. This is a direct response to the US policy about free navigation through the South China Sea. Expect more incidents - this ain't over yet.
It's a legal distance. More jawgumming from low IQ MSM bobble heads
U.S. Maritime Limits & Boundaries
ILWU — International Longshore and WarehouseUnion
ILWU 13
Fear porn?
Whats going on is much less alarming than most commentors make it out to be. China holiday going on now celebrating 70 years after end of WW2. Obama was invited but declined participation. Why? Last time he was humiliated by them (not front and center of the photo but put in the "woman section"). Also, participation would have been a jab at the Japanese who are now one of our allies. So, Obama had to quickly dream up this Mountain renaming so he didnt appear to be a total liar about having other plans. So the Chinese are telling Obama--come here and get your bitch slapping or stay there--either way, your getting one. Amaziing how he ran on the premise how the US was not liked and respected under GW's watch -- got 10 times worse under his. And looking forward, under Hillary--she would get along fine with foreign leaders---probably sell them military secrets like Bill, just have to make a donation to her foundation.
I have no worries about the chinks military buildup and expansionist actions because the USA nuke fleet can easily erase them if need be.
This is what's going on:
http://breakingdefense.com/2015/09/carter-to-china-us-will-fly-sail-oper...
Oh yeah? Well Sarah Palin came within 12 miles of a book. Once.