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China Threatens The U.S., Says Will "Not Tolerate Violations Of Its Territorial Waters"

Tyler Durden's picture




 

While the geopolitical posturing between the US and China over the South China Seas is nothing new, the latest and most dramatic installment started just one month ago, when as part of its celebration to commemorate the successful victory over Japan in World War II, China sailed five warships to the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska, just as Obama was quite literally taking selfies of himself a few hundred miles away.

 

Then yesterday, in the latest US attempt to one-up China despite the now long forgotten visit of China's president to the US which clearly achieved absolutely nothing, and resolved even less, we reported that the US would retaliate to the most recent Chinese "prank" by sailing warships close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea as a signal to Beijing that Washington does not recognise Chinese territorial claims over the area.

A senior US official told the Financial Times that the ships would sail inside the 12-nautical mile zones that China claims as territory around some of the islands it has constructed in the Spratly chain. The official, who did not want to be named, said the manoeuvres were expected to start in the next two weeks.

 

The move, which is likely to raise tensions between the powers, comes amid disagreement over several issues, including US allegations that China is engaging in commercial cyber espionage.

As a reminder, this is area which is provoking so much consternation due to the location of vast commodity resource fields underneath:


Which is odd: one would think this could have been cleared up just two weeks earlier when the two presidents were having a state dinner in the White House (where Michele Obama was dressed in Vera Wang). One wonders just what the topic of conversation was if this most important aspect of geopolitical tensions was left entirely uncovered.

 

In any event, now that we know that the Spratly topic was not discussed, it then comes as no surprise that China just had a very vocal retaliation in kind to what it sees an upcoming provocation by the US. 

According to Reuters, earlier today China said "it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation, as the United States considers sailing warships close to China's artificial islands in the South China Sea."

As noted above, a U.S. defense official told Reuters the United States was mulling sending ships within the next two weeks to waters inside the 12-nautical-mile zones that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly chain.  Washington has signaled it does not recognize Beijing's territorial claims and that the U.S. navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.

China's response was quick, clear and unequivocal:

"We will never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.

"We urge the related parties not to take any provocative actions, and genuinely take a responsible stance on regional peace and stability," Hua said in response to a question about possible U.S. patrols.

The United States and its allies in Asia, including Japan, have called on Beijing to halt construction on its man-made islands and the issue is central to increasingly tense U.S.-China relations.  Admiral Harry Harris, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told the Aspen Security Forum in July that China was building hangars on one of the reefs - Fiery Cross - that appeared to be for tactical fighter aircraft.

What is curious is that while in the past China has traditionally responded by pleading ignorance, with President Jinping saying repeatedly China has no intention of militarizing the islands even though that is precisely what he is doing, never has it escalated the rhetoric to this level.

Almost as if after Obama's humiliating embarrassment in Syria, it is now China's turn to test just how far it can (and will) push Obama.

And now that the threat is out there, the ball is in Obama's court: will he provoke China by sailing the ships in a move that is nothing more than a symbolic pissing contest and risk the clear threat of retaliation, or will he, once again, fold and admit that when it comes to geopolitics, the US is now barely hanging on to "superpower status."

* * *

Finally here again, as a reminder, are the satellite images which demonstrate the extent to which Beijing is "changing the landscape", so to speak, in the South China Sea.

Subi:

Fiery Cross:

Mischief: 

Gaven:

Hughes:

Johnson South:

Cuarteron:

 

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Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:44 | 6649404 SMC
SMC's picture

Perhaps the world bully is about to get a broken nose.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:15 | 6650168 J Jason Djfmam
J Jason Djfmam's picture

No, we are just waiting for things to get so bad that we have to bust out the nukes.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:44 | 6649408 shovelhead
shovelhead's picture

#everyonelovesobama

#chinayugowei

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:48 | 6649433 silverer
silverer's picture

Couldn't they just have left him out there?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:50 | 6649438 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

China now gearing up some ships to use as battering rams... as a backup nice cruise missiles are placed on the islands... with new S300's standing by

 

if you ram US ships... no shots fired... 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:50 | 6649440 laomei
laomei's picture

and does china have the navy to stop it? nope, not even close. go cry some more china

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:00 | 6649497 OutaTime43
OutaTime43's picture

My geuss is that those islands have some pretty nasty anti ship missiles. I wouldn't be so arrogant about our abilities . 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:03 | 6649517 laomei
laomei's picture

it's been a very long time since us forces have been allowed to open up and unleash their full might.  when they are held back they are indeed a joke, when allowed to do what they do best, they are the scariest mofos on the planet.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:25 | 6649621 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

china' commerce will be obliterated about to find out, fun times

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:25 | 6649626 VWAndy
VWAndy's picture

The bankers want a war that kills off most of the people in the world. The US armed forces have been doing just that for a while now.

 Fire bombing Dresden and Tokyo were what they did last time they were given free rain. Yep thats some scary shit.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:11 | 6649558 silverer
silverer's picture

Do they have a navy to stop it?  They have little rubber rafts and rowboats, mostly made of rice paper.  The guys wear funny looking hats and carry bamboo spears.  You dumb shit.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:52 | 6649446 matinee55
matinee55's picture

when you finally know your done, & bend over & spread those cheeks.  The new obola USSA!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:57 | 6649477 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

confidence in USA is falling at breakneck speed... soon Americans will trun against their own gov.... then it's lights out

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:06 | 6649531 Bastiat
Bastiat's picture

Many Americans turned against the US in 60s and 70s and never turned back -- government, media and University faculties are full of them.  One is Bill Ayers, an Obama mentor.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:58 | 6649486 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

I wonder if china has those new under water torpedos that russia has.... they hunt around till find the sub... then boom!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:58 | 6649487 silverer
silverer's picture

I don't see why the the US is so worried about the Chinese with a few small man-made islands?  I'd be concerned if the Chinese floated its navy over to the US and tried to set up toll booths on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  Now that would be ballsy and worth some kind of response.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:59 | 6649491 wisebastard
wisebastard's picture

WWE IS GETTING READY TO RUUUUUMBBBBLLEEEE........................

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:59 | 6649492 LostWages
LostWages's picture

New Chinese island communities need organizing.  Can't have disorganized islands now can we?  OBummer probably looking to see if the golf courses are done yet.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 12:59 | 6649494 Vinividivinci
Vinividivinci's picture

China's warnings only serve to fan the embers of crazyness that warm the cockles of the neocons...
Think matador, red flag and zee bull...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:00 | 6649495 Mike Masr
Mike Masr's picture

We can't forget that when Russia has military exercises on it's own territory the US calls them, agressive, dangerous, assertive and provocative. But when the US travels thousands of miles to take part in a NATO exercise in Estonia right on Russia's border, this is supposed to be okay and cool. This is totally fucked up!! 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:00 | 6649502 spyware-free
spyware-free's picture

This is a gambit by DC to keep Beijing out of Syria. Now that they've retreated from the ME & Ukraine, DC wants to use the chips they have left to poke the Dragon.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:04 | 6649523 Gab Timov
Gab Timov's picture

The US could outlaw all Chinese imports should the war escalate.

China forgets that it is an economic colony of the bankists.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:10 | 6649549 spyware-free
spyware-free's picture

Yes. Because there would be no consequence in doing that domestically since the US manufacturing base would just instantly ramp up to cover the supply coming from China. Store shelves would be full to the brim with shit labeled "Made in America".
Also, US Treasuries would be protected from China dumping trillions of paper on the market since the Fed would back stop the dollar buying it all up.
The sword swings both ways.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:15 | 6649578 Gab Timov
Gab Timov's picture

Cool.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:39 | 6649696 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

Thats what I like positive spirits!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:21 | 6650109 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's picture

Another moron pontificating about returning manufacting, a subject they truly show their total

ignorance of.

Here's a hint for you, I see a great demand for blacksmiths in Americas future.

Maybe something you should encourage your children to go into, but I doubt you could

find your wifes backside with both hands, let alone a smaller target.

America's industrial base was exported to China, and elsewhere, over the last thirty years.

To manufacture even the simplest things at an economic cost, requires a 1001 things you will

never know, or care about, in addition to the ones you could name.

Where would they come from in wartime conditions ? which is what you are talking about.

The skill sets are retired or passed on.A lot of knowledge is in heads,not books.

Do I need to go on ?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:19 | 6650187 J Jason Djfmam
J Jason Djfmam's picture

Name one Chinese made piece of shit you cannot live without.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:29 | 6650716 arrowrod
arrowrod's picture

Fleshlight!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 18:34 | 6650876 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's picture

Integrated circuits,triacs,transformers and dozen of things when you bother to think about it.

The Chinese supply a lot more than to Wally World.The US DoD is also a big indirect customer.

Is it my imagination or is the average IQ plummeting fast around here ?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:03 | 6649513 Gab Timov
Gab Timov's picture

Chinese ship in Araska waters ok though. Respect mah authoritah.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:05 | 6649528 atthelake
atthelake's picture

101 perfect storms brewing and America started them all. When it hits the fan, our standard of living will tank. Stock up and get in better shape, asap, because it's just a matter of when. Knowledge is power.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:26 | 6649636 ToSoft4Truth
ToSoft4Truth's picture

Get a paid-off place.  Or live in the tenements…..  LOL

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:42 | 6649712 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

Bit torrent keyword survival, prepper, buschcraft, and self defense...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:08 | 6649530 Jack Burton
Jack Burton's picture

I mentioned this story yesterday in a post about Syria. The US is planning some serious reaction to Russian support of Syria and at the very same time, the US announced it would make a direct challange to China's South China Sea island settlements. And the post above confirms what I heard yesterday about US plans.

We are talking about a US Government that is already at war with it's own population outside the beltway and off the US military bases, I am sure those folks are fully onboard with Washington's spying and abuse of Americans. Then with the coup in Kiev, the Washington rulers directly challanged Russia in it's own backyard, and in a nation, Ukraine, that not only speaks Russian in large part, but also hosts many millions of ethnic Russians in the east of Ukraine, the Russian lands communists gave to the Soviet republic of Ukraine, and ended up inside a Ukrainian nation because diplomats were too lazy to draw real bordes when the USSR freed all it's former Soviet Republics. Finally, now the US is openly going to challange China in it's backyard. Naval forces and aircraft closing in on Chinas island bases.

So add it up. Washington, Neoconservatives, Zionists, Corporate and Banking interests. This cabal have declared war on the following.

1. The American people who support themselves by work and business.

2. The Russian Federation who has allowed total freedom to all surrounding former Soviet republics, and only acts when attacked by armed assault.

3. The rising Chinese nation of way over 1 billion people, who are now the industrial workshop of half the world.

Minor wars are also going on.

The US is at war on terror. Of course that is a fucking joke!

The US is at war on drugs, bringing total chaos to Mexico. and border areas. Filling US prisons, and costing 10's of billions.

The US is at war freedom of the press. Using CIA operatives to control editorial offices of both Newspapers and broadcast media. This was admitted as far back as 1973 and has since expanded to a total death grip on all main stream media from the USA to all of Europe.

Lots of wars, lots of people paid to fight the wars. Follow the money. See who makes a good living off of American wars. Listen to the claims of absolute global jurisdicition of US federal courts.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:49 | 6650042 Freddie
Freddie's picture

Chinese military jeeps in Syria now with Chinese.

Explosion in Kiev.

https://twitter.com/sbobkov

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:07 | 6649534 Winston Smith 2009
Winston Smith 2009's picture

Reminds me of:

Robin Williams - This is the Line of Death, You Cross It, You Die!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0JSi17ArmM

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:12 | 6649561 wisebastard
wisebastard's picture

the difference between WWE and US foreign policy is that your children die instead of getting entertained

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:17 | 6649583 lolmao500
lolmao500's picture

Obama is a dumbfuck cause he's doing this just NOW... this should have been done when the man made reefs were being built... AT THE BEGINNING... Now, it's too late and could send us into war.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:34 | 6649656 PrimalScream
PrimalScream's picture

The Iranian nuclear program SHOULD have been stopped when they built the first centrifuge.

The Chinese "island-building party" SHOULD have been stopped when they poured the first load of concrete.

Now there is a real problem, because the Chinese have got military assets on the islands.  It's a face-off with real bullets. This puts the USA in a very awkward situation because the US Navy has to sail in there, after coming across the Pacific.  This was always a battle about "presence".  Whoever is present first and demonstrates resolve - is the eventual winner.  Being 'late to the party' is a losing proposition.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:15 | 6649761 cowdiddly
cowdiddly's picture

Enter my vote: Meet Nathaniel Beford Forrest the Wizard of the Saddle. Confederate General that had like a third grade education , entered as enlisted and rose up through the ranks to General.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest

 He is generally credited for having a simple plan to win battles. and right or wrong often quoted as saying the way to win a battle is "Git thar furstest with the mostest"

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:49 | 6650048 PrimalScream
PrimalScream's picture

YUP!

It would appear that Nathaniel Forrest knew exactly what he was talking about. 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:54 | 6649766 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

Lets get er done!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:21 | 6649604 Neochrome
Neochrome's picture

They sure do look like "islands" to me, before and after, if I ever saw one...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:22 | 6649607 Grandad Grumps
Grandad Grumps's picture

Maybe both Chinese and US government leadership should take the sligshots away from the fearful little boys who want to shoot stones at each other?

Where are the grown-ups in all of this? There must be a couple, somewhere.

The American people are not enemies of the Chinese people and visa versa. It is a shame that the governments do not seem to be able to follow the more mature example of the people.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:20 | 6649608 johnlocke445
johnlocke445's picture

I hope to God that the United States tries to get too close to the dragon and the US military gets shot to hell. This is what I have been hoping for. The US needs to cross that line and then get spanked. When this happens the US will now know its place in the pecking order.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:29 | 6649650 Bastiat
Bastiat's picture

The Chinese aren't afraid to act -- witness the forced landing of the spy plane back 10 years or so.  Also, their culture does not allow them to back down from a public confrontation--the whole face thing; so while maybe it's chess with Putin, it's something different and more (and less!) subtle with the Chinese.  Based on what I've seen from our brilliant foreign policy people all I can say is:  good luck with that.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:38 | 6649689 ToSoft4Truth
ToSoft4Truth's picture

While I sort of agree with you, people like Boehner, Obama or Yellon will not be impacted.

Our subdivisions may turn into slums and our families touched by crime… and relatives come back maimed. 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:56 | 6649772 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

Tis will happen, maimed

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:23 | 6649907 NoWayJose
NoWayJose's picture

Sorry, but I don't want any of our military shot to hell. They are just following orders. Hopefully China can figure out a better way to embarrass Obama and his gay admirals.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:26 | 6649638 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

now that the USA has said this.. they have to do it or look like losers..

 

It's a great opportunity for China to sink the entire Pacific fleet... send it all to the bottom...

 

get those north korean subs out too hunting for US ships... they have 50 of them...who knows... mayb NK will take some pot shots at US ships and get this going

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:57 | 6649784 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

70 u lost count

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:31 | 6649660 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

it's almost time for US to be put out of it's misery... world is better off without them

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:02 | 6649796 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

U arent in America or a American, so whatever u say is STUPID! dumbass

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:08 | 6649820 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

neoanthrol u all cwazy, this wont end well

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:34 | 6649670 I Write Code
I Write Code's picture

Cause somewhere on that ocean I know she's gotta be
We gotta sink the Spratlys to the bottom of the sea
We'll find the Chinese islands that's makin' such a fuss
We gotta sink the Spratlys cause the world depends on us

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:25 | 6649672 TheObsoleteMan
TheObsoleteMan's picture

Since when have these waters EVER  been China's territorial waters? Ever hear of the "Freedom of the Seas"? These MFers are trying to lock down the oil assets of the region, which actually are closer to belonging to Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. I'd feel allot better about all of this if we had different leadership, but with his track record, I don't believe the Obozo knows what to do about anything geopolitical or military {besides homosexualizing it}. Thats it! Send in the "Rainbow Fleet", lavender painted warships with all queer crews, that alone should scare the shit out of the chinese!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:36 | 6649679 IronForge
IronForge's picture

Funny how the PHI was able to get the USA to play this game.  Jokes were once made that the Pacific Fleet Chain of Command used to include the Marcos' Estate Attorneys near the Top.  20 Years since the USA had any Bases in PHI; but the Personnel distribution by ethnic groups (especially in the Pacific) are still bit skewed in favor of PHI.  There should be about the same number of JPN_Americans and CHN_Americans(like the rest of the Country) with 2 or so Million for the PHI_American Headcount (vs 330MM for the USA - that's less than 1%); but that's not the case.  Even worse, On my ship, they outnumbered the Hispanics as well.  I suspected that they "took up" a good portion of EEO_Designated Hispanic Slots. 

Taking a closer look at Service Academy Headcount raises a few eyebrows too.  USNA' numbers were pretty bad, as if they can't find and recruit 200-250 Physically Fit Negroes with who have higher than 600 Math for their SATs.  4-5 Per State.  Hispanic Hdcnt could use some work too.  Figure the Recruiters can get off their Asses and visit more Schools, Colleges, and the Fleet more often.  Interesting to see someone from the PHI Ethnicity being the "model minority woman" on more public "close up" PR photos recently though - I had to look around for "close up poster/catalog shots" of other Women across the entire Ethnic Spectrum.  They need to diversify the Diversity Photos a bit more. ^_^ 

That being said...

The Islands/Atolls were under dispute for years.  The only ones really threatened are in PHI and VNM.
One wrong move; and CHI starts using those as advance bases to launch Bombing runs and Airborne/Amphib Ops on PHI.

Sorry to say; but I don't think the USA are going to send thousands of Troops to defend the PHI - so easy for the TWN and KOR Fronts to be active should that happen.  Guam and Hawa'ii will look a bit more vulnerable when that happens, too.

BTW, TWN is essentially blocked off now - save for a direct path to the USA and a circuitous route to AUS.

Did the Asia Pivot Neocons think this through?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:47 | 6650034 TheObsoleteMan
TheObsoleteMan's picture

How long ago did you serve? On every ship I served on, we had Flips for Mess Specialists! They also worked in officer's country as porters.

Sat, 10/10/2015 - 20:44 | 6654002 IronForge
IronForge's picture

80s thru the early 90s, went back as a GS12 to weather the .com bust.

Porters?  That's quite awhile ago.  My Late Father was a Chief Steward (no combat roles for Negroes in WWII in the Navy) from '41 to '61, rode the AuxFlt Tankers as a Ship's Seaman from '63 'til the mid 80s.  He even ran the Submarine Officers' Mess and Lounge (Sanctuary - hope the public expected Sub Officers to live full time on the Boats back then and now).

I ended up being a Chop due to my eyesight that worsened (I was NFO capable when I entered Annapolis - think the "eyesight version" of David Robinson with height (kept getting taller until he was NPQ).  I was also the Wardroom Mess Caterer as well.  Supply Dept was a bit more diversified, with US Citizens and Filipino National Enlistees(MacArthur's Folly? - Strange enlistement arrangement that should have stopped post WWII but didn't until 2005ish.  Why they didn't end it when Clinton was downsizing, beats me) manning up the positions.  We had the Captain's Mess Cook, Wardroom Cooks, Galley Cooks, and MessCooks(aka, Messcranks) that were TAD'd from other Departments to man up the Mess Lines and KP.  The Wardroom Cooks and Messcooks cleaned up the Officers' Quarters.

I had a mixed bag with the Filipino Crew in my Department. One of my best performers wanted to apply for US Citizenship; and was voluntarily paying Federal Taxes (PHI Nationals don't pay Fed and State Taxes, so when they're overseas, they have it slightly better financially than the US Sailors of the same Paygrade.  Bad Policy). 

They were overrepresented on my Ship; and throughout the 7th Fleet.  I grew up in Japan, so growing up with many White, Half Japanese(like yours truly.  The first two groups made up the bulk of the student population), Japanese, and a few Japanese/Chinese/Black American and Filipino National Kids, you tend to notice the Dependent Spouse&Children / Workforce Demographics a bit more than the Casual Observer.

One thing I noticed that there were very few, non-Filipino Asian Americans in the 7th Fleet at the time - especially in the Officer Ranks.  Hardly any Hipanics.  IIRC, my right-hand man and LPO of one of my Divisions was probably the Senior urHispanic in the Crew of 400 Officers and Crew.   Bouncing that against National/Regional Demographics over the years, that's how I know that the Demographics in the Navy's Pacific Fleet (and possibly more sectors) are so manipulated and peddled about.  Going about Air Force and Navy Bases around the West Coast will come up with similar results.  They're notorious for disrespectful behavior. Had a relative of a subpar performer (I encouraged during the Performance Evals, though his LPOs trashed him) try to screw with me when I had an Interview at Toyota (semi-bogus, the TWNese who set that up interviewed me, even if was for a completely different role out of my expertise) by setting up hecklers along the in the Financials Office.  Getting the Middle Finger from a Air Force BX Filipina employee wasn't uncommon.

Ripping choice billets away from the Sailor, Soldier, Marine, and Airman, IMO. 

Worse part, is that more than a few have engaged in gang/thug like "Filipino Animosities" at Military Bases and locations in SoCal.  I bent over backwards trying to instruct a Filipino Financial Analyst learn a Database System; but he just didn't cut it and was eventually fired.  Years later, I found myself trying to fill in and take over a Cognos Financial System from him (I didn't recall until it was too late) from gig at a MidSized Online Durable Goods Retailer in Irvine.  I had hostile Filipino Female ex-coworkers (whom I a selected over) call into the client to Slander me, the Filipino Worker actually had the Company buy a 500K Licence, tooled around for 2 Years in Development (the cookie cutter version with no thriils and basic, non-FUBAR'd Finance/Acctg Scheme with the Host Company should have been rolled out for UAT in 3-4 Months) doing NOTHING, and ended up leaving the Company w/o giving me any access to the system.

What's worse?  He ended up taking ANOTHER Contract I was bidding for as a Project Manager of a system he initially failed in with a Contract Staffing Agency we both were assigned to in NJ.  Icing on the Cake?  The Database System Vendor was the same one as the one at the NJ Client.   

A total Screw Job - from a Screw Up.  This can't be coincidental - it HAD to be planned and coordinated somehow.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:52 | 6650071 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

what the fuck is PHI??

Is that some queer butfuck navy code???

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:22 | 6650200 J Jason Djfmam
J Jason Djfmam's picture

LBFM's?

Tue, 10/13/2015 - 03:44 | 6661866 IronForge
IronForge's picture

LBFM  (Little Brown F Machines)...

My Roommate (now a retired CAPT(O-6)) used that term alot.  Though I sympathize with the situation many a Filipino Hostess/Hooker had to go through while "Servicing the Fleet" (we're talking being sold off by Family, here), I never took advantage of a Filipina Hostess, nor let myself get involved romantically/sexually with a Filipina Woman - they were my Schoolmates, my Schoolmate's Mother, etc. as I was growing up.  I do find the falsified sense of "Moral Superiority" some of the SoCal Filipinos have seemed to display as they heckled and harassed my jobhunting efforts, though.  

He ended up marrying a Filipina Hostess;  but a good number of WESTPAC Sailors do marry the Local Women.  My Late Father allegedly had GFs from several Far Eastern Countries (after divorcing a whoring Negro ex-wife who allegedly slept with Troops and became Pregnant back home while he fought in Korea ), and eventually remarried with a JPNese Woman.  Ha!

Speaking of dark skinned peoples with not so conventional Marital/Mating Practices...
Funny thing is, - I still have the annoyance of Stalking Negro Cultists who think they can "Blackify Me more", "make me learn Jive", "date/marry their Foul Tempered, Women", "Eat Chitlins with them in their Church Picnic on Sundays" (I left Xianity nearly a decade ago), and "Learn Ebonics", eventually, I guess.   Of course, the Ignorant call me "Oreo" (I'm mixed, so they're wrong there) or "Mongrel" (an LA AFB Commissary Register Worker/Bagger did that - she ended up not working there after awhile).

And some of them wonder why I've no interest in marrying a Negro Woman.

A Man has to keep to his Convictions and Standards...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:36 | 6650272 TheObsoleteMan
TheObsoleteMan's picture

PHI? Sorry, I don't understand you. Spit the nigger jizz out of your mouth and try again.

Tue, 10/13/2015 - 03:42 | 6661873 IronForge
IronForge's picture

You allegely served in the Area, or at least on a Ship that employed Filipinos; and you can't infer the PHI designation? 

Considering your usage of the racial slur of "Flips" and nigger - which is against the Rules here, by the way - one can deduce that you really are an Ignorant Ass.  I've reviewed your posts; and you really do not contribute positively(factual, philosophical, or for general entertainment) to any thread I've looked at.  Do leave the site, Trash.  We need to improve the Gene Pool of Users here.

Tue, 10/13/2015 - 03:35 | 6661868 IronForge
IronForge's picture

Pull you head out of your arse, read the text, infer the nation-states and ethnic groups being addressed, and query it with your search engine.

Hint: it's an ISO Standard I'm referencing, Fool.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:43 | 6649715 NuYawkFrankie
NuYawkFrankie's picture

Is there ANYONE on the planet that the  USSA ZIO SCUMMM* is not at war with - or planning to be at war with???

(SCUMMM* - Satanic Cabal Underwriting Mass-Murder & Msyhem)

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:48 | 6649736 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

now that there is TPP China should make half of it's factories to make missiles to roast USA

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:48 | 6649737 Eahudimac
Eahudimac's picture

Why should anyone in the USA give a shit about these islands? Big fucking deal. The US has claimed islands all over the goddamned world. 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:52 | 6649757 rejected
rejected's picture

u.s philippines war.... u.s 4200 dead. Philippines 20,000.

An 1800's Iraq.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 18:35 | 6650295 TheObsoleteMan
TheObsoleteMan's picture

That 20,000 figure were only the ones that hated us. After we killed them all, the only Flips left were the ones who loved us, AND LOVED US THEY DID/DO. So much so, that they want us back at Subic and Clark too.

 

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:48 | 6649738 rejected
rejected's picture

You only "own" something as long as you can hold it. Doesn't matter what it is, house, car, boat, money, islands, etc.

If someone can take it for any reason, legal theft included, then you do NOT own it.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:18 | 6650441 Crocodile
Crocodile's picture

Really; you have never been to a funeral or heard of "Death"???

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:16 | 6649787 gator gatlin
gator gatlin's picture

It is so sad to see how clueless and transparently (stupidly) motivated our guy is.  He gets his nose bloodied one place on the playground so he goes and picks a fight someplace else to try and save face.  Not thinking even one step ahead to ask what if what just happened, happens?  

It is just so amateurish, clueless, pointless, ultimately costly and vain that it is actually scary to see this stuff happen.  Past is prologue, so it is easy to predict how this latest will turn out.....fold again...opposite of original (dumb) objective.  It is a stupid gambit with an utterly predictable outcome. "Shooting one's self in the foot" bromde was invented for situations like this...but, alas, he cannot help it...clueless, guileless, lazy and arrogant.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:26 | 6650213 blazinrabbit
blazinrabbit's picture

This is just a face saving exercise. It doesn't cost a thing to beat one's chest and claim that he's King Kong.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 13:59 | 6649793 kanoli
kanoli's picture

Glad that somebody is doing something useful with those islands!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:13 | 6649854 ThrowAwayYourTV
ThrowAwayYourTV's picture

So to answer my own question. Investors got us here, where we are with china that is.

They gave them all the money they needed to do whatever they wanted. So say THANK YOU WAL*STREET

Next big WS Fook up.... TTP.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:39 | 6649989 blazing
blazing's picture

Hey throwawayyour TV, hope you didn't by mistake threw a little bit more than your TV away?? Americans giving money to someone? Anyone?? - that in most cases includes their mother is NOT possible. Now how about taking money? Now we are talking...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:49 | 6650044 ThrowAwayYourTV
ThrowAwayYourTV's picture

I'm totally against the whole system Blaze. Anyone you give money to uses it against you. Buy an i-idiot and they take the money to spy on you. Pay taxes and they take the money to police you. Buy a tv and they take the money to brainwash you. Buy a new car and they take the money to control gas and oil prices. You got the idea?

I unplugged from the matrix years ago. Dont have a single toy although I can afford any one that I want. I rearly ever talk on the phone, infact I never answer it. And as far as showing everyone pictures of my life, forgwt it. No flakeBook or Tweeter either. Besides. Really? Does anyone really give a shit about me and what I have or what I do? Nope!

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:14 | 6649872 rsnoble
rsnoble's picture

What's China going to do?  Withhold several of Walmart's plastic fucking garbage shipments and make them a couple weeks late?  Actually, that would probably be almost as bad as bombs.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:17 | 6649885 johmack2
johmack2's picture

OH SNAP...."Europe must treat Russia with more decency, improve the relationship, and not let EU policies be dictated by Washington", European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a surprise speech

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:19 | 6649892 NoWayJose
NoWayJose's picture

Obama should do one thing before he sends in the ships - and that would be to develop an alliance with the other countries next to the area. China's position is untenable if ALL the nearby countries support the U.S. position.

That said, do those countries hate China or the U.S. more???

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:32 | 6649958 JIMSJOE2
JIMSJOE2's picture

It is amazing how the US military is encircling China with it's bases and an increase of naval ships but when China responds by building islands to counter the US aggression, the US absolutely goes berserk! It is as if the US atitude is they can do anything they want but heaven forbid if China or anyone else for that matter decides to take action to defend their people!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:06 | 6650628 Eddielaidler
Eddielaidler's picture

 

Do it!

Do it!

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:06 | 6650629 Eddielaidler
Eddielaidler's picture

Um....Yeah because that's what we do. We do it better than anyone else. Your such a genius...see?

It is only because we are stuck with weak leadership that this goes unchallenged.

My advise to Russian and China is to keep doing it faster and more exhuberantly in a geometric way.

As a matter of fact just print a lot of money and do it till there is a land bridge of cash.

Do it!

Do it!

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:35 | 6649973 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

These are not your territorial waters you fucks. They are nowhere near your country and in fact near other nations.

I hope that the US Navy sails right though there. They will not do jack shit about it and they know that their claims are bogus.

Sand castles come to mind.

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:45 | 6650019 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

sink them

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:44 | 6650015 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

in the future the US stars and stripes will be banned as symbol of tyranny 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:45 | 6650017 wizteknet
wizteknet's picture

Love how non american citizens bitch about not being?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:47 | 6650031 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

it's strange to find US citizens support the US neo con zios who are wrecking the constitution and the country.... 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:46 | 6650030 anachronism
anachronism's picture

This is just symbolic. Once upon a time, the US Navy used to send a carrier task force through the Formosa Straits evry now and then. Then, sometime during the Bush '41 years, the US Navy sent only an occasional destroyer. Sometime during the Clinton years, the US Navy stopped doing even this.

Once the fighter interceptors and anti-ship missiles are in place on these Chinese-made islands, we might not even venture into the South China Sea at all! So, we might as well make the gesture while we can.

The strategic significance of the South China Sea to the United States is minimal. Its value to the Chinese and the ASEAN countries is quite large. So, its importance to the US is derived solely from our desire to keep these countries from becoming economically and politically dependent on China. In terms of the New World/Globalist Order, the ASEAN countries could provide our predatory capitalists with an even cheaper source of products and parts than China. If the Trans Pacific Trade and Investment Partnership has been sold to the politicians in the Congress as a way to limit China's impact on our economy, then we will need a strong naval presence to counter the threat that these islands pose to cargo ships that would transit this area.

Imagine that! The US navy will be charged with protecting and preserving an economic system that is destroying the basic fabric of American enterprise and quality of life for the great many of us!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:21 | 6650197 optimator
optimator's picture

Truman should have let MacArthur have his way in Korea and we wouldn't have these problems now.  And we wouldn't have Lil Kim around either.

Sat, 10/10/2015 - 01:06 | 6651704 hedgiex
hedgiex's picture

ASEAN is largely comprised of crony economies. A breeze for China to reward/punish for their access to China's markets. US has a history of short termism in propping up Cronies and China knows how to lever to create more instability without even having to be in TPP. China also know that US is broke to fast track TPP. It will take decades for 2 hegemonies (one old and one new) to compete in this space. What is more important is that it is not where your  term investments should be as their golden period of benign economic weather is over. Trading their volality is of course a different matter. 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:55 | 6650077 Teh Finn
Teh Finn's picture

Just read the bullshit that the zh warmongers mash into their keyboards.  The fucking mouth breathing mommy fed spaghettiO chompers are wetting their drawers over death and destruction.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 14:56 | 6650089 PrimalScream
PrimalScream's picture

"Once the fighter interceptors and anti-ship missiles are in place on these Chinese-made islands, we might not even venture into the South China Sea at all!"

that's exactly what is happening here.  I didn't know that the USN had stopped sending carrier task forces through the Straits of Formosa - back whn it was called Formosa.  I thought that we still did that.  Stopping those task forces was a big, big mistake.

The USA is looking at losing access for its Navy from the entire South China Sea.  That is exactly what is at stake here, and our admirals know it.  

Both sides have stated a public position, so someone has to lose this shouting match.  Not sure how this will play out.  

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:17 | 6650179 optimator
optimator's picture

First of all we should be helping Taiwan beef up Quemoy and Matsu islands off the coast of China, Long range missiles air defenses, etc.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:01 | 6650107 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

so Obama could be sending men to their deaths for nothing.... China can sink these ships... then what? 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:11 | 6650149 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

US military should mutiny soon... 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:17 | 6650181 Joe Tierney
Joe Tierney's picture

Ain't it just the shits?

 

You unilaterally declare yourself the sole global hegemon, and these damn dark-skinned, slanty-eyed morons have the unmitigated gall to refuse to obey your every dictate.....

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:26 | 6650211 quadratic_equation
quadratic_equation's picture

I think it's time for the kneegrow to tack tail from the yellow man; afterall, he already tacked tail from the white man in Syria when the white man barked.  This is what we get for electing a kneegrow for a leader.  Nobody respects him it's because the leaders of other powerful nations do not respect a kneegrow contrary to what most Americans believe that a kneegrow is equal.  Yes, they may show a smile and shake hand with the kneegrow in public but behind the curtain they're laughing on how stupid American people are with their political correctness and rubbing a kneegrow in their face which to them is an insult.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:26 | 6650212 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

Zios want a war to reduce US population... this is all planned... when most on earth are wiped out Zionists shall remain as boss

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:30 | 6650233 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

now that the host USA is financially ruined... the next challenge is to create a new host... but the ones available are not friendly to zios... therefore a big bang is required... kind of like noah's flood..

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:31 | 6650242 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

You really need to understand this evil mindset... imagine you are 2% and your group wants to run the world... so think on how to do it...

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:47 | 6650322 MoHillbilly
MoHillbilly's picture

What you are doing there is called talking to oneself. If you start down voting yourself you might want to ease back on the throttle a little

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:02 | 6650389 Infinite QE
Infinite QE's picture

They have the new host; China. Just like when they drove England into the dirt after raping the world, they got their hooks into America. They created the current version of China as the sponsors of Mao and his reign of terror.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:07 | 6650309 earleflorida
earleflorida's picture

Quote:   "some members of congress and pentagon officials are also promoting worse case scenarios about chinese moves in the the south china sea. through the waterway passes virtually all the oil from the middle-east intended for china, japan, south korea, and taiwan. there are two sets of about a thousand-miles, reefs, and rocks in the south china sea. the spratlys and the paracels, which are claimed in part or in whole by seven different governments-- those of china,* vietnam, taiwan, the philippines, malaysia, brunei, and indonesia. it was only in 1987 that sovereignty over the spratlys first became an issue in chinese foreign policy, reflecting a shift to nationalism as the main legitimating principle of the region. most of these barren bits of land are unoccupied, but during the late 1980s and early 1990s, in pursuit of their various claims, china occupied six of them, vietnam twenty-one, philippines six, malaysia three, and taiwan one."

pg 162 -[163]  chapter 7: China: foreign policy, human rights and trade

Blowback c.2000  Chalmers Johnson #1/3 trilogy

Ref:  Irredentism        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irredentism

Note* [*]]   vietnam and japan are huge bud's, and trading partners. japan is to take the reigns from the ussa when TPP is passed, which indeed will cause great friction between the PRC and the mini-tigers as japan pulls and taunts the dragons tail...[?]       

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 15:48 | 6650334 Slowdrip
Slowdrip's picture

Remember to: 'Duck and Cover'......

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:59 | 6650446 Md4
Md4's picture

Whether it's the Spratley's, Ukraine, the Middle East, or resources, the U.S. will either have to start showing a considerable degree of international respect and deference to Russia and China, or eventually, there will be embarrassing capitulation, or worse, war.

We have to understand that when you outsource western middle class jobs to China, for example, you also enable them to amass capital. Russia has been remarkably successful in natural resource production, particularly oil and gas, and has, too, amassed large wealth as a result. When they spend it, they also want something to say about how a world, growing more dependent upon them, runs.

As these two powers rise in wealth, they rise in geopolitical power as well. And they're not going to suffer the U.S. chessboard hegemony much longer. That was the way it WAS, not the way it WILL BE. We need to get on board with that, where we can, and stop trying to bully these two around. We have a long history of meddling all over, and increasingly, that's GOING to be challenged.

I mean, it's not like we don't have mountains of much, much more important shit to tend to here at home. If we want to maintain some stature and geopolitical strength tomorrow, economic strength now, and at home, is all we should have time for.

After all, what do we expect to achieve without it?

m

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:39 | 6650505 Legolas
Legolas's picture

Is there an adam's apple in that picture?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:36 | 6650517 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

Regional powers Russia and China will make USA a regional power

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 16:59 | 6650597 Librarian
Librarian's picture

The following is a list of hostilities that took place in the 20th Century among the civilized peoples of the world. The uncivilized were unable to provide reliable statistics.

2 world wars; 250 civil wars; 311 holy wars; 1 cold war; 516 wars of liberation; 331 wars of containment; 691 wars of honor; 296 declared wars; 856 undeclared wars; 4 brushfire wars; 2 vest-pocket wars; 413 limited wars; 1,987 acts of war; 7,756 warlike acts; 88 police actions; 2 nuclear attacks; 6,578 government massacres; 4 holocausts; 943 jihads; 693 pogroms; 614 longterm persecutions; 12,111 acts of treachery; 575 betrayals of the masses; 958 grabs for power; 400 putsches 50 total enslavements; 837 partial enslavements; 4 total genocides; 461 partial genocides; 13,658 cease-fire violations; 3,115 boundary disputes; 1,432 border clashes; 3,047 social conflicts; 798 sectarian rivalries; 13,678 civil disturbances; 946 carpet bombings; 4,288 threats to security; 286 popular uprisings; 1,877 areas of unrest; 622 strife-torn regions; 165 internal upheavals; 745 political repressions; 12,194 acts of sabotage; 1,633 swift reprisals; 818 armed resistances; 639 repressive measures; 1,126 violent outbursts; 9,876 mass detentions; 11,904 guerrilla operations; 3,466 suicide missions; 823 slaughters; 1,200 bloodbaths; 43,096 atrocities; 161 reigns of terror; 715 rebellions; 28 revolutions; 21 counterrevolutions; 746 coups; 745 countercoups; 457 insurgencies; 458 counterinsurgencies; 4,622 covert operations; 3,422 direct interventions; 617 enemy incursions; 13 measured responses; 295 commando strikes; 694 retaliatory raids; 844 surprise attacks; 236 protective reactions; 2,155 frontal assaults; 213 responses in kind; 17,867 hostile incidents; 4,756 belligerent moves; 938 naked aggressions; 849 foreign adventures; 601 overseas entanglements; 307 arms races; 98 international powder kegs; 515 regional tinderboxes; 818 military flashpoints; 2,415 heated exchanges; 911 shows of force; 668 heightening of tension; 735 deliberate provocations; 921 military confrontations; 639 dangerous escalations; 3,721 terrorist bombings; 438 preemptive strikes; 630 outside aggressions; 8,571 violent disturbances; 646 surgical strikes; 4,392 diplomatic deadlocks; 82,879 ultimatums; 788,969,747 heated arguments; 823,285,571 shoving matches; 917,704,296 fistfights; 942,759,050 snotty phone calls.

That's how we did, folks. Not a bad record, all in all.  We could have done better, considering the number of fools in our ranks.

-George Carlin

(From Napalm and Silly Putty)

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:26 | 6650704 o r c k
o r c k's picture

And these are just the US numbers huh.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:29 | 6650714 Keyboard Kommando
Keyboard Kommando's picture

Fucking kikes have been busy! Too bad they keep shooting up churches and schools? Find out where the Satanic Tribe hangs out and visit!

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:10 | 6650651 Librarian
Librarian's picture

[the Neocons/Neoliberals are doubling down on their stupidity and now threatening China)

Although it's been over two years since McCain last yapped on about China being a currency manipulator.

I've always wondered about that.  What was told to McCain to make him stop and who said it?

That is the real source of power in the world at this moment.

 

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:23 | 6650694 o r c k
o r c k's picture

I think these islands were built as billionaire "getaways". For 10 billion you can escape justice and scuba dive till it all blows over.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:28 | 6650712 Dropthebomb
Dropthebomb's picture

If the west was serious with China, I expected them to really play the environment card. Destroying those sacred reefs, you know. But not a peep from western media. They could surly use that to demonize the China.
I also wonder why China is taking so long to enter Syria.
Not much blowing up in China these days.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:33 | 6650730 Handful of Dust
Handful of Dust's picture

Where's Reggie? Is he photo shy?

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:55 | 6650815 Aleedsfella
Aleedsfella's picture

Time to fuck off home America, the world hates you! and the way Russia has embarrassed you and kicked you out of Syria makes me laugh. Now China are kicking your pathetic arse as you leave.

Fri, 10/09/2015 - 20:02 | 6651119 Element
Element's picture

 

 

"As a reminder, this is area which is provoking so much consternation due to the location of vast commodity resource fields underneath:

 

Which is odd: one would think this could have been cleared up just two weeks earlier when the two presidents were having a state dinner in the White House (where Michele Obama was dressed in Vera Wang). One wonders just what the topic of conversation was if this most important aspect of geopolitical tensions was left entirely uncovered."

Some perspective:

---

The South China Sea is Not Beijing's Next Battlefield 

Think Taiwan instead.

Ian Easton

September 19, 2015

No one likes to admit they made a mistake, especially in Washington.  But what if America's top strategic thinkers have gotten China's military buildup all wrong?

The definition of military deception is “actions executed to deliberately mislead adversary decision makers...thereby causing the adversary to take specific actions (or inactions) that will contribute to the accomplishment of the mission.” Could Beijing be using the South China Sea to this end?  By creating a constant stream of provocations in an area it cares relatively little about, China has diverted attention from an area it cares a lot about. This could be leading the Pentagon toward bad planning assumptions and investments.

The South China Sea Pivot:

Since at least 2011 many of America's leading thinkers have become convinced that the South China Sea will dominate military and security affairs in the 21st century. It is the new battleground, the Fulda Gap with Asian characteristics. China's South Sea Fleet is the new Soviet 8th Guards Army. Or so many have come to believe.

The Pentagon and State Department, as a result, have urgently ramped up their efforts to meet the new threat. Special operations forces, diplomats, and congressional delegations have poured onto the scene, eager to play their roles in this new great game. White House sanctioned security assistance and top-level visits have followed close behind.

This regional influence campaign has resulted in a breathtaking series of breakthroughs. Burma has been re-opened for business. Vietnam, having its arms embargo relaxed, has become a security partner.  U.S. Navy ships, fresh from dockyards in America, have taken up station in Singapore, ready to sally forth in an emergency. The Marine Corps has established a strong presence in the Philippines and Australia. Air Force fighters, bombers, and drones now shadow the skies above. The horizon seems limitless for American geostrategic positioning across Southeast Asia.

China seems more than willing to validate foreign fears. Indeed, Beijing has turned up the volume on its strategic messaging system to full blast. Washington foreign policy elites have been inundated with aggressive Chinese messages about the key importance of the South China Sea.  Just to make sure the point is fully understood, China has provoked a series of incidents with U.S. Navy ships in the area.  China has also preyed on vulnerable fishing boats in waters claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam.  

Most shockingly, China has built a number of manmade islands in the disputed waters. It is now rapidly turning them into military outposts. Semi-submerged reefs and rock features, once labeled “dangerous grounds” on maritime maps, now appear dangerous for a very different reason.

Each of Beijing's moves appears carefully calibrated to maximize foreign fear and minimize Chinese risk.  Nothing has happened in this war of nerves that might result in a shooting war. China knows it would lose such a fight. But more important, and often missed by observers, the South China Sea is not a top priority.

China's Main War Plan:

China's military buildup is about Taiwan, not the South China Sea. According to reports from the Pentagon and Office of Naval Intelligence, conquering Taiwan is the core mission that drives the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Why? Because China's authoritarian leadership is deeply insecure. Beijing views the Republic of China (ROC, or Taiwan), which exists as an independent and sovereign state, to be a grave threat to the communist party's vice grip on power. Taiwan is dangerous because it serves as a beacon of freedom for Chinese speaking people everywhere.

Taiwan is also a problem for China because it has a close defense and security relationship with the U.S. military. There are over 3,300 Department of Defense visits to Taiwan a year. And that number is growing fast. In addition, a remarkable number of Taiwanese military personnel study and train in America, probably more than any other foreign country. From Beijing's perspective, China's historic rise as a great power will not be complete until it can wrest Taiwan out of America's sphere of influence.  Only then can China break through the first island chain to become a regional hegemon, dominating Japan and South Korea. 

According to authoritative Chinese writings, the PLA focuses surprisingly little on the East Asian seascape. The Science of Military Strategy is the most detailed and credible document available on Chinese military thought.  It takes pains to underscore the prime importance of land, not water. China's "main strategic direction" (a euphemism for supreme national objective) is the invasion and occupation of Taiwan's entire territory. Second order campaigns involve conflicts along China's 14 land borders. Here the PLA is talking mostly about war with India. Neither island disputes nor sea lanes are a critical priority. 

The Science of Military Strategy makes clear that PLA ground forces would play the leading role in a Taiwan campaign. The ground forces, as a result, enjoy pride of place in the Chinese military. That's one reason why infantry, tank, and amphibious units led the way at China's recent national day parade. The PLA Navy, Air Force, and Second Artillery (China's strategic rocket troops) follow the ground forces in protocol order. Their envisioned roles are to support the Army's needs.

Each Chinese fighting service and branch considers the invasion of Taiwan their principal mission. The Science of Military Strategy reveals the operation would involve information attacks (electronic and cyber warfare), missile bombardments, airstrikes, sea blockades, and surprise amphibious landings. The ground force is expected to face the brunt of the bloody battle, fighting from the coast into Taiwan's dense urban centers and mountains. Assuming victory, the Army is also responsible for pacifying a post-war Taiwan, turning it into a Orwellian police state.   

The PLA Navy's mission is to support the invasion of Taiwan. It would be responsible for executing naval blockade operations; providing air defense and transport ships for the invasion armada; shelling the coast; clearing mines and beach obstacles; and deterring, delaying, or disrupting American aircraft carrier groups. These are all highly difficult tasks. Most of these missions are probably outside China's grasp and will be for some time to come.   

It is little wonder then that the PLA Navy and Air Force view the safeguarding of China's island sovereignty as third order missions. The PLA ground force, the team's star player, does not consider it a mission at all. Nor does the Second Artillery. Those who think the South China Sea is driving Beijing's military spending spree are missing the point.         

Implications for America: 

There are political, military, and legal implications of China's strategy for the United States. By stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, China keeps American policymakers looking at the wrong problem set.  Beijing's motives, of course, are unknowable. But the effects of its actions are plain to see. More and more Americans are being drawn toward a place where China has an advantage and can exact leverage. It is easy to negotiate, or not negotiate, when the outcome matters greatly to the other side and little to your side. China might care less about the South China Sea than the United States and her allies do.

Annexing Taiwan is vastly more important for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership. It is China's weakest and most vulnerable point. Beijing hides this by spreading misinformation about Taiwan.  One example includes the notion that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are moving more closely together economically, so political unification is inevitable. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.  The CCP's policies toward Taiwan are failing miserably. Recent polling data reveals that unification never been more unpopular in Taiwan than it is today.

Another common misperception is that the balance of military power has shifted decisively in the Taiwan Strait. If that were true, as China's propaganda machine would have us believe, the PLA could invade Taiwan anytime it wanted. However, recent studies on Taiwan's air and naval defense capabilities reveal that the ROC military is a whole lot tougher than it generally gets credit for. China knows there is a long road ahead before it can credibly threaten Taiwan with invasion.  And Uncle Sam can tip the scales at any time.

Washington, it seems, has been influenced by China's misinformation campaign.  War games, exercises, and studies now focus on the South China Sea at the expense of Taiwan. As a result, there is a large and growing asymmetry of knowledge and information regarding Taiwan scenarios. The PLA has legions of Taiwan experts. The Pentagon has a dwindling handful.

The U.S. government has self-imposed restrictions that make the problem even worse. Navy ships are prohibited from docking in Taiwan's harbors, even in the event of severe weather. More absurd still, admirals and general are not allowed to visit Taiwan and meet the men whom they would be expected to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with in a war. In a crisis, the President of the United States is going to be on the phone with commanders in Hawaii who, while otherwise superb, have no firsthand knowledge of the battlefield.   

Much of the hardware needed for fighting China in the defense of Taiwan has been put on the backburner as well. Despite the obvious threat, front-line American war fighting assets in the Western Pacific, from satellites to command posts to aircraft hangars, remain unhardened. U.S. forces are woefully behind the PLA in long-range anti-ship missiles. The littoral combat ship is being deployed to Asia first, not frigates and destroyers capable of high intensity combat. Clearly some planning assumptions have been made which favor the South China Sea over a Taiwan scenario.

The Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8) mandates that, "It is the policy of the United States to maintain the capacity...to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social and economic system, of the people of Taiwan."  The Pacific Command, by law, must be able to certify an ability to defend Taiwan in the most stressful situations imaginable.  That is why operational concepts like Air-Sea Battle/JAM-GC are so important.  Yet studies show that not enough human software and military hardware are being programmed to keep pace with this increasingly difficult mission.      

China's actions are moving minds toward the South China Sea and away from its true strategic objective.  This may be purposeful. If true, that would be disquieting and unwelcome news. But even if it is not, America's policies and military thinking still risk being compromised by the tyranny of the inbox. Without a better understanding of what really animates China's military buildup, the U.S. security position could weaken, and the prospects for a peaceful and stable East Asia could grow ever more remote. It is time for the U.S. government to rebalance to the Taiwan Strait.      

Ian Easton is a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, a think tank focused on security issues in Asia.
 
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Sat, 10/10/2015 - 00:53 | 6651688 Tallest Skil
Tallest Skil's picture

Let them attack, then bomb the mainland into the stone age, annex some of the choice land, kick out the natives, and set the stage for new US states. 

No more proxies, no more "limited" war. Sick of this nonsense.

Sat, 10/10/2015 - 01:32 | 6651723 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

it will be nice to see USA and Israel defeated 

Sat, 10/10/2015 - 09:33 | 6652217 Omega_Man
Omega_Man's picture

Seems like a great time for Mossad to strike Turkey and blame the Kurds... but when Erdogan finds out Israel did he will be pissed...
Hope he attacks Israel.

Tue, 10/13/2015 - 14:01 | 6663473 justravindersingh
justravindersingh's picture

This is rediculas to see two great powers going head to head... It only make harm to peoples....

 

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