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Beijing's South China Sea Military Buildup Continues: The Dramatic Visual Evidence
On Tuesday, Reuters, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Washington will not look to impose sanctions on Chinese entities allegedly behind hundreds of cyber attacks on US targets prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington next week.
The proposed sanctions are a sore spot for Beijing and some analysts were concerned that their imposition could jeopardize Xi’s visit. Others suggested that not moving ahead swiftly risked sending the wrong message about how seriously the US takes the alleged cyber intrusions, but that concern seems to have taken a backseat to polite diplomacy. “Imposing sanctions before Xi's high-profile visit, which will include a black tie state dinner at the White House hosted by President Barack Obama, would be a diplomatic disaster,” one source told Reuters.
The decision underscores the difficult position the US finds itself in when attempting to craft the appropriate response to China’s new role as a key player on the international stage. Indeed, the world is closer to bipolarity now than at any time since the Cold War, which means a heavy handed approach by the Americans is simply not an attractive option. Nowhere is this dilemma more apparent than in the US’s response to Beijing’s land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea.
The construction of what’s now likely to be more than 3,000 acres of new sovereign territory atop reefs in the Spratlys has raised eyebrows among Washington’s regional allies and tensions heightened considerably after the PLA essentially threatened to shoot down a US spy plane over the new islands earlier this year. China also faces allegations from Japan that its oil and gas operations in the East China Sea violate an agreement to develop the fields jointly.
Despite the fact that China claimed to have largely completed its dredging efforts in the Spratlys in June, Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, tells a different story. Here’s what Glaser has to say about a series of new images shown below and available at the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative:
China is still dredging in the South China Sea. Satellite imagery of Subi Reef taken in early September shows dredgers pumping sediment onto areas bordered by recently built sea walls and widening the channel for ships to enter the waters enclosed by the reef. On Mischief Reef, a dredger is also at work expanding the channel to enable easier access for ships, possibly for future use as a naval base.
This activity comes in the wake of assertions by China that its land reclamation has ended in the Spratly Island chain. On August 5, during the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters, “China has already stopped. You look, who is building? Take a plane and look for yourself.” He did not pledge that China would refrain from construction and militarization on the newly-created islands, however.
Wang Yi reiterated that China’s construction on the islands is mainly “to improve the working and living conditions of personnel there” and for “public good purposes.” To date, however, China’s activity appears focused on construction for military uses. Recently built structures on Fiery Cross Reef include a completed and freshly painted 3,000-meter runway, helipads, a radar dome, a surveillance tower, and possible satellite communication facilities.
Apparent Chinese preparations for building lengthy airstrips on Subi and Mischief raise questions about whether China will pose challenges to freedom of navigation in the air and sea surrounding those land features in the future.
The persistence of dredging along with construction and militarization on China’s artificial islands underscore Beijing’s unwillingness to exercise self-restraint and look for diplomatic paths to reduce tensions with its neighbors, the United States, and other nations with an interest in the preservation of peace and stability in the South China Sea. U.S. calls for all claimants in the South China Sea to halt land reclamation, construction, and militarization have been rejected by China, which views the status quo as unfavorable to its interests.
On the eve of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, Beijing appears to be sending a message to President Barack Obama that China is determined to advance its interests in the South China Sea even if doing so results in heightened tensions with the United States.
And more from Gregory Poling, a fellow with the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies and the Pacific Partners Initiative at CSIS and AMTI director.
Earlier this year, the addition of an airfield on Fiery Cross Reef provided a more southerly runway capable of handling most if not all Chinese military aircraft. And in June, satellite photos indicated that China was preparing to lay down another runway at Subi Reef. New photos taken on September 3 show grading work at Subi, providing further evidence that runway construction there is planned. Meanwhile work at the Fiery Cross airfield is well advanced, with China recently laying down paint.
Satellite photos taken on September 8 contain an unanticipated development, indicating that China may be preparing to construct another airstrip at Mischief Reef. These images show that a retaining wall has been built along the northwest side of the reef, creating a roughly 3,000-meter rectangular area.
And the new visuals:
We'll close with the following from Robert Kaplan, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington who spoke to Bloomberg:
“The Chinese have a classic Sun Tzu philosophy of incremental steps. Because it is small steps, the Americans and their allies will not be able to respond in a strong fashion because they will seem to be over reacting. That is what makes China’s approach so infuriating.”
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Eh... They only half ass everything so I would say a nice Earthquake there "naturally" will dissolve the islands.
So, pictures of Russians in Syria prove nothing, while pictures of Chinese on islands prove...uh...something?
I want to see what happens when these bases get hit with a Cat4 or better typhoon. Not to mention a good tsunami.
Show me the broads; I'm easy.
Awww... I was really hoping to see some of the new sat pics of illegal U.S. construction on the Yemeni island of Socotra. That's going to be able to handle B-52s, I think. Carriers for sure.
The Saudis aren't even done killing Yemenis and we're already stealing their land. That's just not gentlemanly - you're suppose to wait until the dead are buried... or at least until the blood is dry. The Saudis are unloading cluster bombs on civilians there right now as you read this.
I guess I should be worried about China building stuff in the South CHINA sea in their territorial waters (sorry, British cartographers), but I can't quite wrap my head around the threat this poses to me. But if they start moving those islands closer to the U.S., I am going to be PISSED!
Why?... Simple... The ChiComs know Obozo is a pussy.
That's not very PC. I prefer to refer to our POTUS as a vaginal-American.
Now that the vaginal-American has control of the GW Bush Weather Machine...will he huff and puff and blow this away...or just blow Reggie as usual?
I know, I know...stupid question!
Socotra is (was) an amazing World Heritage site. Why don't they tarmac over the Galapagos while they are at it? These guys make ISIS look like pikers. Fuck the US/ISIS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bdMSCdw20
nice to see how china just couldnt stop with ruining just their own country with pollution and low quality concrete. Time to bulldoze some of the neighbours pretty reefs!
Their own territorial waters? Any look at their claims shows the utter farce in that case, they are encroaching on other countries 200 mile limits while being a thousand+ miles away from the nearest Chinese landmass.
All your ocean belongs to us sums up the Chinese naval ambitions.
Can't be any worse than New Orleans during Katrina.
Typhoon? Easy - rebuild time and time again. Still be a lot less expensive than those aircraft carriers the US uses. One or more of those carriers will be lost before all this is over.
It is, after all, the South CHINA Sea.
"One or more of those carriers will be lost before all this is over."
You think one of those islands is less expensive to create than an aircraft carrier? One or more of those islands will be lost before this is all over. For a few thousand dollars worth of TNT and some good scuba gear.
Spot on.
The Russian love on this site is ridiculous.
I prefer my Russian love on the mail-order sites...
Oh, you mean we can't use eminant domain on those islands??
That's me in the third picture.
See me waving?
Yes, but pants down? I don't get it.
OK, yeah, now I see it.
It looks like a dick, only smaller.
At least you can see some progress here.
As compared to that Syrian airfield.
Damn good thing they have their own printing press ;-)
If only the US stayed so close to home!
dup.
I blame the beer!
is south china sea legitimately within usa sphere of influence?
Not for at least the next 16 months.
That US shere of infuence is shrinking. The level of influence exerted within is diminishing. Does not matter who occupies the presidential palace.
The U.S.S.A. will back down because we already sold out to China!
DUH.
They are un-selling out now, month by month.
no spratly islands story is complete without pictures of the female cadets:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-19/girls-gardening-puppies-and-pig...
is the PLA accepting volunteers?
If I was a nation with military/tactical aspirations contrary to the US I'd be working my ass off for the next 16 months. It's open season.
So what! Tell me when they invade another country ... as the US has done again and again.
I don't think China does that... I can only think of examples where they build infrastructure in other countries. Though a lot of it is to help them more efficently mine resources. ...
... so sort of like the usa... only without the army occupation ... bombing... and drones overhead taking out "terrorists"
Is it illegal to create new islands?
Ask the EPA
A big military close by makes things more legal.
Ghost cities...Ghost islands...whatever.
Good Lord. I watched 5 minutes of the "debate" and all I heard was who was more willing to take the MIC's dick down their throat furthest. Fucking sickening.
I think Carly won!!
Diego Garcia. Two can play at that game. The US offered a one way plane ticket out to the locals of DG and burned the pets of the people of Diego, who decided to stay in their homes, with hopes of intimdating them into leaving. We elect baad people.
Did they build a seawall?
8.3 quake in Chili.
Yup, one tsunami and it's all gone
A good place to put a tsunamiwebcam, that would RULE.
When they're done with these they'll just want some more islands in a few hours.
The Chinese have these.
America has Australia.
Incremental steps...just like how the US is fucking its citizens.
off topic
https://theintercept.com/2015/09/16/air-marshals-investigated-sharing-vi...
Looks good to me. What's the US doing constructive?
This is a massive operation, but to what ends? Besides the obvious regional advantages for fishing and oil exploration, those islands lie in close proximity to some of the highest density shipping lanes in the world. Korea, Japan and Taiwan send vessels through the South China Sea around Singapore towards the Gulf of Aden and Suez canal to markets in Europe. Oil imports bound for Japan and Korea also traverse this area. India, Singapore and Vietnaim also depend on these waters to ship goods to the US west coast. It's a strategic choke point and gives China a means to control trade if that is their desire. At the very least they could make shipping a lot more expensive for their trade competitors. I guess the only question is do these islands end up like some of their empty ghost cities, or is this what Chinese empire looks like?
I think you answered your own question....
The vietnamese.
Most westerners have no understanding of the vile hatred the Vietnamese have for the Chinese. And I do mean VILE....the Soviet Viet might not care for America all that much but they HATE, and I do mean HATE the Chinese.
This is the perfect black swan IMHO.
Squid
Do you know what the Golden Age is, age of Aquarius and all the other guises they've coded the knowledge in.
http://www.tmgnow.com/repository/global/planetophysical.html
Link proves they knew this stuff decades ago, there's hints at one possible explanation why the madness and race is on to grab certain latitudes. Is this also why the sudden acceleration in the Greater Israel Project, eviction of the locals, and wiping out all evidence/claims they were ever there.
What he's saying also ties in with this, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IceCube_Neutrino_Observatory
Your on your own to figure it out and connect the dots as best you can. No one going to tell you the true nature of this place. There's an energy source they're working on, and willing to burn the current world down to achieve. It's been here before, part of the cycle of this place, and whatever freak runs this show thinks they're going to tap into it again.
China's island-building exercise has pushed neighboring Southeast Asian countries toward the U.S. Their military ties with the U.S. are closer than before, even the ones that were previously more pro-Beijing than pro-Washington. Island building is only part of China's aggression in nearby waters. Swarms of Chinese fishing boats, some armed, regularly operate inside other countries territories. And Chinese navy ships breach borders frequently.
Wow! Those Chinese really know how to get the most out of 3-D printing.
Isn't US RE-BUILT SOMETHING in Subic Phillipine ALSO??
http://www.stripes.com/news/us-military-s-return-to-the-philippines-spar...
So, what the FUSS??
When Mike Oliver dredged up Minerva in 1972, Tonga invaded.
The US only care because China are looking for oil and gas.
All states have a duty to reach agreements with their neighbours as to the extent of their territorial waters or go to arbitration. For some interesting ICJ judgments and legal opinions on territorial waters Google: 'Falklands' Territorial Waters Academia/BritBob' and discover why China might be reluctant to go to arbitration.
They will kill off.all our men because our dicks.are.so much bigger, their women will go nuts if they get a taste.
Our women will be in a bad way because there are so fucking many of them, 4 or 5.could hold one of our.women down and try to rape them.
Of course, if she's in Texas it would take 40 or 50 to get thru because she has guns and knows how to use them.
I asked a Chinese girl for her number.
She replied, "Sex! Sex! Sex! Free sex tonight!"
I said, "Wow!"
Then her friend said, "She means 6663629."
Tylers, you're milking this too much.
So we know CHN are building up the Atolls and the Islands.
BFD.
Wake us if...
1) TWN, PHI, VNM, AUS, or the USA start doing something provocative, like buzzing bombers, sailing Warships nearby, or even dropping in a SpecOps Team or two;
2) They start BOARDING Ships or FORCING DOWN Planes passing by;
3) When they FINISH building the Resorts and Casinos on them; and start making Advertisements for Cruise Ship Packages there.
4) Sports Illustrated / Victoria's Secret get Photo/Film Permits there for their next shindig...
Thanks.
So how can the average investor take advantage of the continued China build-up? Since they are in this for the long haul, which Chinese companies are the best to bet on?
Hats off to China! Unlike the USSA and its cancerous Pentacon Kill Industries (the last thing USSA produces;death) that targets and then destroys a country, genocides the natives, turns the infrastructure into a pile of charred rubble, China builds its own military real estate out of nothing.
Onward to the screeching fat lady of the Fed and the last gasp of the Saudi Mercan dollah!
You know, if it was the West doing that Greenpeace and other assorted two-faced greeine wieners and lefty treachery-media would be all over that like a rash a year ago.
btw, those don't look like small steps to me, they look like large deliberate well planned rapid-fire paces into other people's territories and the total abandonment of diplomacy in favor of weight of force.
Well, they've seen US doing it for decades, saw that it works, so... it's only natural.
To me personally the only bad thing going on here is the destruction of some beautiful virgin coral reefs. I've seen some in Vanuatu, Fiji, Cook Islands and other countries and they should be preserved for their beauty and biodiversity.
building these sand castles will have pols in every country near by, and usa, talking for years and years...gov job security. chinese likey talky berry much.
Robert Kaplan at the "Center for a New American Security" thinks the Chinese incrementalism is so infuriating. Ok dual-citizen, if you say so, but do you have anything to say about Jewish Sayanim military and business espionage for Israel? What about dual-citizen incrementalism in subverting the Western World?
The US has bases all over the planet, ready to drop kissie-kissie democracy peace bombs at a moment's notice.
China is clearly expanding, making ready to either move directly against the US, or an empire push into the pacific. Hell, likely both.
It may be a few years from now, but if that region ever lghts up, it'll be a goddamn doozy. All of it funded by MIC funny money.
Might be a good idea to talk your kids out of joining up, or re-enlisting.
whats all the fuss?
more islands are a good thing, what with over poplation of the planet n all
durrrr
I f***ing love it when I see countries exhausting themselves and their resources on this kind of bulls**t.
Yes yes China Thumbs Up
Rather also build islands near American coast and place Nuclear hardware there ,
We need someone to balance the Evil American empire