In a somewhat stunningly hypocritical step for a nation that seems so hell-bent on proclaiming Russia's provactive actions as tantamount to World War over Ukraine, the White House has issued a statement "taking no position" on China's "disputes" in the China Seas...
- *BIDEN MEETS CHINESE ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF FANG AT WHITE HOUSE
- *BIDEN SAYS U.S. TAKES NO POSITION ON TERRITORY CLAIMS AT ISSUE
- *BIDEN SAYS NATIONS SHOULD AVOID PROVOCATIVE STEPS IN DISPUTES
So - the Chinese undertook "provacative actions" into the "disputed territory" of another sovereign (allied) nation... and the US retaliates with no sanctions, no damnation, no hellfire? Good to know who your friends are...
As Bloomberg reports,
Biden, in meeting with China Army Chief of General Staff Fang Fenghui, says “no nation should take provocative steps to advance claims over disputed areas in a manner that undermines peace and stability in the region,” according to White House statement.
Underscores U.S.’s “serious concern about China’s unilateral actions” near Paracel Islands
Biden, Fang met at White House
This comes after earlier new from China...
A top Chinese general on Thursday defended the deployment of an oil rig that has inflamed tensions in the disputed South China Sea and triggered deadly protests in Vietnam, blaming Hanoi and saying China cannot afford to "lose an inch" of territory.
General Fang Fenghui also pointed blame at U.S. President Barack Obama's strategic "pivot" to Asia as Vietnam and China grapple with one of the worst breakdowns in relations since the neighbors fought a brief border war in 1979.
...
A U.S. official said Vice President Joe Biden told the visiting Chinese army chief that Beijing's actions in the maritime disputes were "dangerous and provocative.
Standing at the Pentagon alongside the top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, Fang said Vietnam was at fault for stirring up trouble by dispatching ships in an attempt to "disrupt" Chinese drilling activity.
"I think it's quite clear ... who is conducting normal activity and who is disrupting it," Fang said, speaking through an interpreter.
...
Speaking about regional tensions, Fang said Beijing did not create trouble, but was also unafraid of it and suggested China was ready to defend its territorial integrity.
"Territory which has passed down by our ancestors into the hands of our generation - we cannot afford to lose an inch," he said.
Which appears to be Chinese for "from my cold dead hands"