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China Has "Right" To "Seize" Neighboring Islands, Official Says
Well you can say one thing for Washington’s narrative when it comes to Beijing’s land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea: the rhetoric has been consistent. That is, it’s always been about deterring Chinese “aggression”. And about China seeking to “militarize” the Spratlys.
To be sure, this is just the US parroting what Washington’s regional allies - most notably The Philippines - have said regarding the 3,000 or so new acres of sovereign territory China has built atop reefs and on a certain level, it’s not entirely clear that the US cares as much about this dispute as it does about what’s going on in say, Syria or Ukraine. Still, $5 trillion (or maybe less now that global growth has ground to a veritable halt) in global trade passes through the disputed waters around the islands each year and when you combine that with the fact that China is essentially daring the US to call its bluff, The White House finally sailed a destroyer by Subi and subsequently flew a couple of B-52s “near” the airspace over the islands.
On Tuesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin is out with some highly amusing commentary ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which will be held in Manila tomorrow and Thursday.
Far from being “aggressive” or seeking to “militarize” the region, China, Liu says, has actually “shown great restraint” because in reality, the PLA could have by all rights seized "dozens" of islands occupied by Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Here’s Reuters with more:
China has shown "great restraint" in the South China Sea by not seizing islands occupied by other countries even though it could have, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday ahead of two regional summits where the disputed waterway is likely to be a hot topic.
But China was the real victim as it had "dozens" of its islands and reefs in the Spratlys illegally occupied by three of the claimants, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told a news conference in Beijing.
He did not name the countries, but all claimants except Brunei have military fortifications in the Spratlys.
"The Chinese government has the right and the ability to recover the islands and reefs illegally occupied by neighboring countries," Liu said.
"But we haven't done this. We have maintained great restraint with the aim to preserve peace and stability in the South China Sea."
See there Ash Carter? You may think you've seen Chinese aggression in The South China Sea, but in reality, real aggression would be for the PLA to "seize" what is rightfully China's and tell The Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam to get out of The Spratlys and never come back.
Forgive us, but that seems a bit passive aggressive. Liu is basically saying this: "we could, at any time, attack and we would be well within our rights to do so."
Meanwhile, Liu also says no one should be concerned about the airstrip on Fiery Cross (which is capable of landing military aircraft) because after all, the longer the airstrip, the more civilian uses it has:
Satellite photographs show construction is finished on a 3,000-metre-long (10,000-foot) airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef. Security experts say such an airfield would be able to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft.
"Actually, the larger they are, the more civilian benefits they will bring," Liu said, pointing to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 last year as evidence of the poor state of search and rescue capabilities in the South China Sea. Rescuers initially focused their search on the waterway before moving to the Indian Ocean.
So it will be interesting to see what kind of rheotric emanates from APEC over the next couple of days and it will also be interesting to see if the Pentagon (or anyone else) responds to China's claims that it is rightfully entitled to forcibly commandeer any land reclaimed by other nations in the region.
But to all of America's South Pacific allies: have no fear, because Ash Carter is on the job...
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Like Taiwan?
Yeah, that along with Japan.
Nice. Confiscation a'la Diego Garcia!
They're learning from the best plunderers in the business- US / UK.
http://johnpilger.com/videos/stealing-a-nation
"... peace and stability in the South China Sea..."
Meaning ...?
Those are some mighty fine air bases you've got there, PRC, it'd be a real shame if a tsunami came along...
Hey, why not?
We topple third world regimes and they seize islands.
Fair trade ?
Maybe they should write it into the TPP.
"And though I walk through the valley of the South China Sea I shall fear no evil for I am the meanist son of a bitch in the ocean." ~PLN (People's LIberation Navy)
But those islands do not have Islamic nut jobs who will be refugees seeking a new life in the west.
I hear they have their eyes on Catalina.
Manifest destiny... Asia-style.
I for one, agree. Do it, it's ok with me, I live nowhere close to these uninhabited islands.
See who has what in the Spratleys. China is not alone.
Installations in the disputed region
Occupied by China (PRC)
Cuarteron Reef
Huayang Reef
Fiery Cross Reef
Yongshu Reef
Gaven Reefs
Nanxun Reef
Xinan Reef
Hughes Reef
Dongmen Reef
Johnson South Reef
Chigua Reef
Mischief Reef
Meiji Reef
Subi Reef
Zhubi Reef
Occupied by Malaysia
Ardasier Reef
Ubi Reef
Dallas Reef
Laya Reef
Erica Reef
Siput Reef
Investigator Shoal
Peninjau Shoal
Louisa Reef
Semarang Barat Kecil Reef
Mariveles Reef
Mantanani Reef
Swallow Reef
Layang-Layang Island
Occupied by the Philippines
Thitu Island
Pagasa Island
West York Island
Likas Island
Northeast Cay
Parola Island
Nanshan Island
Lawak Island
Loaita Island
Kota Island
Flat Island
Patag Island
Lankiam Cay
Panata Island
Irving Reef
Balagtas Reef
Second Thomas Shoal
Ayungin Shoal
Taiwan Occupied by Taiwan (ROC)
Itu Aba Island
Taiping Island
Zhongzhou Reef
Occupied by Vietnam
Alison Reef
Amboyan Reef
Barque Canada Reef
Central London Reef
Cornwallis South Reef
Da Gri-san
Da Hi Gen
East London Reef
Great Discovery Reef
Ladd Reef
Landsdowne Reef
Namyit Island
Pearson Reef
Petley Reef
Sand Cay
Sin Cowe Island
South Reef
South West Cay
Spratly Island
Tennent Reef
West London Reef
One could get excited about exploring all these places. Such a person could be called a "reefer".
Swallow reef, isnt that where Ocornholio vacations with Reggie?
Sorry China, no fresh water on those reef islands. Maybe you could put a couple of chemical storage facilities there though?
pods
Does he use that photo for his online dating profile with the caption "Ladies, check out MY aircraft carrier!" and with Highway To The Danger Zone playing?
Mostly right, but it's the laddies he's after.
Actually, he pines for Obungholio. but hes not white enuf...
double dog dare them,Ash
i dare ya
God I can't wait for the first MEGA Typhoon to rip through the area.
All your islands are belong to us
- sincerely Barack Obama
They decided to make a big deal about this so they can push through building another 10 aircraft carriers for a nice round trillion. Of which 80% of those grants go directly into Pentagon's special interest groups.
I thought the Pentagon was dumb. Now i realize they are simply greedy like the rest.
Islands? What islands? You mean those dormant volcanoes? Hmmm.... time for a little rumble, from deep down below.
Actually, these are "horsts" or heaped areas surrounded by drops. The crust is thrust in some places and dropped in others. I suppose, like sinkholes, land can go up or down at any time.
We could fix this with a Plate Tectonics Tax.
Just take them China, lets see oBummer piss in his pink panties.
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The point we have to worry about is when the Chinese are fully ensconced into these islands, fully defensible, and have had enough humiliation by the US flying over them, or sailing beside them.
They will choose a lesser adversary, and blow them out of the water as a lesson.
Then it'll get 'very interesting'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qf6Sv3A9zs
•?•
V-V
Why doesn't the US builds it's own islands?????
Okay, they don't have the skilled labor but can't they hire the Chinese to build islands for them?
Or maybe some blacks from Baltimore or Mizzou...Oh, wait...
I hate that picture of Ash Carter - he looks like such a lib-douche-neocon-whore ...
(I would love to see a picture of someone tossing Ash Carter out of the helicopter)
Is that a scene from Independence Day? The crazy guy (Randy Quaid) who got alien probed then redeemed himself by heroically sacrificing himself to blow up the flying saucer allowing Will Smith to finally smoke his cigar, the President to heroically shout 'spread the word' and peoples all over the world unite to slay the villianous undocumented visitors from space...or just American diplomacy at work?
Dear U.S.A Do you remember 1982 and the Falklands war? you refused to help as it was an island of the coast of another country thousands of miles away! hypocrites! @theGov
Maggie said "No problem, we got this." so we cheered you on.
Gave you blokes a chance to feel good about yourselves again.
And we kicked arse again! Have you still not worked out the fact that you are still part of the Empire? Do we need to burn the WhiteHouse again?
PLEASE DO!!!!!!!!!
Looks like the large governments of the world have decided it is once again okay to do plundering without ceremony.
Heretofore, they all still plundered, but believed ceremonies by disinterested parties thousands of miles away legitimized it.
The ceremonial way has been the dominant fashion since the invention of the atom bomb.
Well, they say nukes produce great sunsets.
I wonder if we shall wake again?
There are plently of islands there China can just take.
Boeing, GE, AMAT all gave away their technologies to China.
Sovereign nations kind of have the right to do what they determine is their right. That's kind of the definition of sovereign...
China is just playing Populous on a real world board game
The Machine (2013) Movie Script
http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-machine
@28:44 in The Machine (2013) Movie...
Thomson: Machine. How can we win a war against China?
Ava / The Machine: Use an android to infiltrate C.P... and assassinate the paramount leader, the party elders, and the heads of the politburo and discipline commission.
Thomson: Well, why didn't I think of that?
Ava / The Machine: When they are all dead, civil unrest will tear the country apart.
You may think you've seen Chinese aggression in The South China Sea, but in reality, real aggression would be for the PLA to "seize" what is rightfully China's
That's interesting. Is ZH taking an editorial stance along lines with the chinese commie party that is essentially at odds with the entire international community? Oh wait, the international community. That's so passe. This is a little club house for curmudgeonly cynics who think it's coooooool to piss on everything except their nuclear fallout bunker and 5-year collection of spam and gold coins.
Aw, my bad. Wait, let me correct it with a cynical snippy anti-American commie chink loving snide one-liner.....
Sink this bitchez......
There ya go. Verrrrry ZH chique. Wait.... FALSE FLAG!!! FALSE FLAG!!!!
LMFAO. Comments section is becoming a bigger joke here every fucking day.
Did you get ass raped recently?
LMFAO. The name says it all. And there's the snippy tough-guy one-liner. You can't make this shit up. I rest my case. The ink hasn't dried or the cliche chimes in.
Prrrrrrrrrrrriceless.
Here's a Fear-mongering, Flag-waving, TPP Propaganda Piece by the US Naval Institute.
http://news.usni.org/2015/11/17/panel-china-establishing-a-grey-zone-of-...
Sad to read, since CHN hasn't "coerced" anyone who were minding their own business transiting down there.
Of course, things may change; but there's so much for CHN to gain by just thwarting any Pirates lurking in the Region.
Wait one, that would include the US Navy's Politically Correct, Social Engineering Butt Pirates...
He who dies with the most toys and real estate wins!
This probably concerns the islands in dispute with Japan too...
Ahh, all those fuckin' islands will be underwater any way with global warming and all, ain't that right Al?
Al?
How much did you make inventing the internet by the way??