Thread: China 'building runway in disputed South China Sea island'

Indonesia: Military Exercise Near South China Sea is No Provocation

JAKARTA —
This week’s military exercises near the territorially disputed South China Sea are not provocative, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Wednesday, because they are part of routine drills within the country’s maritime territory.

Indonesia’s air force will kick off its largest military exercises Thursday near the Natuna Islands, largely as a show of its sovereignty over the gas-rich area on the fringe of territory claimed by China, officials said.

President Joko Widodo launched an unprecedented campaign to bolster fishing, oil exploration and defense facilities around the Natuna island chain four months ago, after a series of faceoffs between the Indonesian navy and Chinese fishing boats.

China, while not disputing Indonesia’s claims to the Natuna Islands, has angered Indonesia by saying the two countries have overlapping claims to the nearby waters that Indonesia calls the Natuna Sea.

I want to emphasize, this is not the first or only military exercise by Indonesia,” the foreign minister said. “We’ve done them several times and the military exercise is in Indonesian territory — not in South China Sea, but in the Natuna Sea, which is part of Indonesia.”

According to a report by IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, the October 6 drill is planned to “simulate an air raid and the seizure of a captured runway ... on Pulau Natuna Besar,” a piece of territory close to the area that Beijing asserts is Chinese.

China’s claims are based on its so-called nine-dash line of sovereignty across the South China Sea, a standard whose legal legitimacy recently was rejected by a U.N.-backed tribunal.

“We want to show our existence in the area, [that] we have a good enough air force to act as a deterrent,” said Air Commander Jemi Trisonjaya, a spokesperson for the Indonesian air force.

About 2,000 military personnel will be involved in Thursday’s exercises, which he said would include deployment of special operations ground forces, transport aircraft, helicopters and Indonesia’s fighter jet, both Russian-made Sukhois and U.S.-made F-16s.

Indonesian legislator Tantowi Yahya, chairman of parliament’s defense commission, told VOA’s Indonesia Service that Jakarta recently allocated $35 million to strengthen a military base in the Natuna Sea.

“Natuna is the farthest and most outer region, [so], in case something happens, it would take time to handle it,” he said. “To strengthen the region, should something unwelcome occur, we need to fortify the area with additional soldiers, facilities and infrastructural development.”

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, where about $5 trillion worth of trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims over islands and waters in the area.

Indonesia: Military Exercise Near South China Sea is No Provocation

VOA, there's a trustworthy source.

More sabre rattling from a declining empire, hiding behind another countries name.

U.S. ready to confront Beijing on South China Sea: admiral

The United States is ready to confront China should it continue its overreaching maritime claims in the South China Sea, the head of the U.S. Pacific fleet said on Wednesday, comments that threaten to escalate tensions between the two global rivals.

China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

The United States has called on China to respect the findings of the arbitration court in The Hague earlier this year which invalidated its vast territorial claims in the strategic waterway.

But Beijing continues to act in an "aggressive" manner, to which the United States stands ready to respond, Admiral Harry Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said in a speech in Sydney.

"We will not allow a shared domain to be closed down unilaterally no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea," he said. "We will cooperate when we can but we will be ready to confront when we must."

The comments threaten to stoke tensions between the United States and China, already heightened by President-elect Donald Trump's decision to accept a telephone call from Taiwan's president on Dec. 2 that prompted a diplomatic protest from Beijing.

Asked about Harris's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the situation in the South China Sea was currently stable, thanks to the hard work of China and others in the region.

"We hope the United States can abide by its promises on not taking sides on the sovereignty dispute in the South China Sea, respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region and do more to promote peace and stability there," he told a daily news briefing.

The United States estimates Beijing has added more than 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land on seven features in the South China Sea over the past three years, building runways, ports, aircraft hangars and communications equipment.

In response, the United States has conducted a series of freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea, the latest of which came in October.

The patrols have angered Beijing, with a senior Chinese official in July warning the practice may end in "disaster".

Harris said it was a decision for the Australian government whether the U.S. ally should undertake its own freedom-of-navigation operations, but said the United States would continue with the practice.

"The U.S. fought its first war following our independence to ensure freedom of navigation," said Harris. "This is an enduring principle and one of the reasons our forces stand ready to fight tonight."

U.S. ready to confront Beijing on South China Sea: admiral | Reuters

Report: China’s artificial islands now weaponized

MANILA, Philippines - China’s artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea are now heavily fortified, according to Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

The Department of National Defense (DND), raising concerns over this latest security development in the South China Sea and West Philipine Sea, is verifying the report.

more Report: China?s artificial islands now weaponized | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

The Chinese have given new meaning to the term "weasel words".

Originally Posted by misskit

"The U.S. fought its first war following our independence to ensure freedom of navigation," said Harris. "This is an enduring principle and one of the reasons our forces stand ready to fight tonight."

U.S. ready to confront Beijing on South China Sea: admiral | Reuters

Jesus Christ,

Can you imagine if the Seppos and the slope heads kick off.

Fok me, the Worlds foked then EH.

Originally Posted by misskit

"We will not allow a shared domain to be closed down unilaterally no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea," he said. "We will cooperate when we can but we will be ready to confront when we must."

I was under the impression that the POTUSE was the one to declare war. But then that hasn't happened in many a decade

Originally Posted by misskit

islands in the disputed South China Sea are now heavily fortified, according to Washington-based think tank

Against what, winter storms, don't they need a lot of sandbags to ensure the lighthouse isn't washed away, or a now imminent attack by a certain Admiral Harry Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command.

One wonders what the Admiral would do to one of his carrier groups captain if it disappeared due to not taking all precautions against a now acknowledged enemy.
Are they so used to attacking countries with just rubber dinghies and AK47s they cry "not fair" and demand a "safe space" to confer if somebody takes norice of the threats and prepares it's defences.

Originally Posted by misskit

The Department of National Defense (DND), raising concerns over this latest security development in the South China Sea and West Philipine Sea, is verifying the report.

The DND will also confer with the other 16 Ameristani, 3 UK, 25 NATO, Japanese, South Korean, Australian and New Zealand national spy agencies and war departments to ensure that they all agree there is some "fortification" (in the knowledge that global warning will raise the seal level by 16.25mm , as predicted by an ancient Chinese astrologer in 684AD). The said "fortifications" comply with all EU regulations and upon receipt of a US$15T money transfer to the Clinton Foundation will issue a "Licence to Occupy". The said licence to be issued on a yearly basis subject to possible inspections.

Originally Posted by Latindancer

The Chinese have given new meaning to the term "weasel words"

The Ameristanis have given a new word for the meaning of the verb "to lie".
to say something that is not correct, by mistake:
That word is "misspeak"/"misspoke"

Some common usage as an example:

I did not inhale.
I did not have sex with ....
I ran under fire from the aircraft.
The Secretary denied lying, but said that he misspoke.

If we continue to deny to ourselves what their agenda is, it's about as foolish as the English prime minister Chamberlain.

___________________________

China's military has carried out its first ever live-fire drills using an aircraft carrier and fighters in the northeastern Bohai Sea close to Korea, state media said.

China's growing military presence in the disputed South China Sea has fueled concern, with the United States criticizing its militarization of maritime outposts and holding regular air and naval patrols to ensure freedom of navigation.

No other country has claims in China's busy waterway of the Bohai Sea, but the drills come amid new tension over self-ruled Taiwan, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent telephone call with the island's president that upset Beijing.
Ten vessels and 10 aircraft engaged in air-to-air, air-to-sea and sea-to-air combat drills that featured guided missiles, state broadcaster Chinese Central Television reported late on Thursday.

"This is the first time an aircraft carrier squadron has performed drills with live ammunition and real troops," it said.
China's Soviet-built Liaoning aircraft carrier and a formation of warships carried out aerial interception, anti-aircraft and anti-missile drills, in which Shenyang J-15 fighter jets carrying live missiles also participated, CCTV said.

It broadcast images of fighter jets taking off from the carrier, firing missiles and destroying a target at sea.
The Liaoning has participated in previous military exercises, including some in the South China Sea, but the country is still years off from perfecting carrier operations similar to those the United States has practiced for decades.

On Wednesday, a U.S. think tank said China had been installing anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on artificial islands in the South China Sea, prompting China to defend its right to install military hardware there.
China's exercises aim to test the equipment and troop training levels, an unidentified navy official told the official China News Service.

Last December the Defence Ministry confirmed China was building a second aircraft carrier to go with the existing vessel, but its launch date is unclear.


China holds first live-fire drills with aircraft carrier, warships | Reuters

Things are warming up :


A Chinese Navy warship has seized an underwater drone deployed by an American oceanographic vessel in international waters in the South China Sea, triggering a formal diplomatic protest from the United States and a demand for its return, US officials said.

China's Navy seizes American underwater drone in South China Sea - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This is a great opportunity to take massive western collective umbrage and drop a few hundred tonnes of ordnance on these sneaky chinky chonks and their sneaky little islands.

I say it is time to bust a move on these coonts.

HOOYA!!

^It's time you led this platoon over the top sergeant, try and make to the ten yard wire before you're cut down by the Huns machine guns. There's a good chap.

China confirms US request for seized drone - Global Times

China's first response.

China like Russia are taking advantage of what they see as weakness and a lack of resolve from the current Presidency. As much as many Tdorians dislike the way the USA has exercised its power and influence(and in many cases rightly so), To think that the world would be better off with China as the world power and influence I think is delusional. Even the Israelis know they can ignore Obama with total impunity and many more of unsavoury regimes have realised they can also ignore the USA with little or no consequences.
The chinese govt has shown how ruthless it can be when it has the power to do so. Tiananmin square should serve as a reminder to what can happen with such a totalitarian govt only slightly removed from the ideology of fatso in north korea. They are gradually ensuring their energy supplies around the world especially Africa.
Corporate greed has help set up a Goldman sachs style economy as in China that has become too big to fail without considerable economic pain. The one advantage that Trump currently has is his unpredictability whether that will prove to be an asset or a total disaster remains to be seen.
To suggest that The Asian region would be less prone to problems or conflict if the USA would just leave, I believe is nonsensical. The power vacuum left would be filled by China which is what they seek.
Australia is already far too beholden to China for its economic security as are many other countries.
The European Union will never step up to the plate. They are too busy removing urinals from the European parliament to get in touch with their feminine side to actually do something.
I believe if we are to counter a more inward looking isolationist America other countries must step up to the plate. I am interested how other Tdorians read it.

Trump's secretary of state pick says China should be barred from South China Sea islands



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state set a course for a potentially serious confrontation with Beijing on Wednesday, saying China should be denied access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea.
In comments expected to enrage Beijing, Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China's building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was "akin to Russia’s taking Crimea” from Ukraine.
Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”
The former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands it has built up from South China Sea reefs, equipped with military-length airstrips and fortified with weapons.
Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for specifics on how China might be blocked from the artificial islands.

China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
Tillerson also said Washington needed to reaffirm its commitment to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province, but stopped short of Trump's questioning of Washington's long-standing policy on the issue.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging that China takes the position that there is "one China" and Taiwan is part of it. But the United States is also Taiwan's biggest ally and arms supplier.
"I don’t know of any plans to alter the 'one China' position," Tillerson said.

Tillerson said he considered China’s South China Sea activity "extremely worrisome" and that it would be a threat to the "entire global economy" if Beijing were able to dictate access to the waterway.
He blamed the current situation on what he termed an inadequate U.S. response. "The failure of a response has allowed them just to keep pushing the envelope on this," Tillerson said.
"The way we’ve got to deal with this is we’ve got to show back up in the region with our traditional allies in Southeast Asia," he said.

Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration conducted periodic air and naval patrols to assert the right of free navigation in the South China Sea. These have angered Beijing, but seeking to blockade China's man-made islands would be a major step further and a step that Washington has never raised as an option.
Under his strategic "pivot" to Asia, Obama has increased the U.S. military presence in the region, and Trump has vowed a major naval buildup.
Tillerson's words also went beyond Trump's own tough rhetoric on China.

RELUCTANT TO CHALLENGE

Obama has sought to forge a united front in Southeast Asia against China’s pursuit of its territorial claims, but some allies and partners who are rival claimants have been reluctant to challenge Beijing.
Tillerson called China's South China Sea island-building and declaration of an air defense zone in the East China Sea it contests with Japan "illegal actions."
"They’re taking territory or control, or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China’s," he said.
The response was muted from the Philippines, a traditional U.S. ally that last year won an international arbitration case that included a challenge to China's island-building within its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
"These are not policies yet and let us wait if they will implement what was said in the hearing," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Thursday.
"Let's wait until Trump is in office."

His comments reflect the sharp change in Manila's approach to China under new President Rodrigo Duterte, who wants good diplomatic and business ties with Beijing and says challenging it is provocative and pointless. He makes no secret of his lack of trust in the Obama administration and has chided it for what he considers inaction in the South China Sea.

Tillerson also said the United States could not continue to accept "empty promises" China had made about putting pressure on North Korea over that country's nuclear and missile programs.
He said his approach to dealing with North Korea - which recently declared it is close to carrying out its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile - would be "a long-term plan" based on sanctions and their proper implementation.
Asked if Washington should consider imposing "secondary sanctions" on Chinese entities found to be violating existing sanctions on North Korea, Tillerson said: "If China is not going to comply with those U.N. sanctions, then it's appropriate ... for the United States to consider actions to compel them to comply."
He accused China of failing to live up to global agreements on trade and intellectual property, echoing past remarks by Trump, who has threatened to impose high, retaliatory tariffs on China. But Tillerson also stressed the "deeply intertwined" nature of the world's two biggest economies.
"We should not let disagreements over other issues exclude areas for productive partnership," he said.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-sec...09.html?ref=gs

HOOYA!!

^ Yep. Bellicose saber rattling to appease the Budweiser drinkers.

America doesn't own The Pacific and associated areas.

That is, unless one belongs to the continuous empire extension mindset.

'No access': Rex Tillerson sets collision course with Beijing in South China Sea

Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, has set the stage for a potential clash with China, saying it should be barred from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea.

Tillerson said China’s control and construction of artificial islands in waters claimed by neighbouring countries was “akin to Russia’s taking of Crimea”.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, building seven artificial islands on reefs and rocks and outfitting them with military-length airstrips and anti-aircraft guns.

“We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed,” Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing to become America’s top diplomat. “They are taking territory or control or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China’s.”
Analysis 'A storm is gathering on the horizon': Chinese scholars fret about Trump
Experts agree the chances of a bitter and messy rupture between China and the US have increased following Trump’s tweets lashing out at Beijing
Read more

The statements are sure to enrage China, which has taken an extremely rigid stance on challenges to its sovereignty claims. Last year, an international tribunal ruled much of China’s territorial claims were invalid, but had little effect and the Chinese government ignored the verdict.

“[Chinese president] Xi Jinping will not be seen as weak and soft in the face of pressure from the United States, so I really do worry about an early crisis with China,” said Bonnie Glaser senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “China is not going to allow the United States to deny it access to what it sees as its own territory.”
Rex Tillerson at the confirmation hearing for secretary of state.
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Rex Tillerson at the confirmation hearing for secretary of state. Photograph: Patsy Lynch/REX/Shutterstock

Trump frequently slammed China during his campaign, mostly on economic issues, and recently used Twitter to chastise China over its support for North Korea. But Tillerson’s comments are a new provocation that Beijing may not be able to ignore.

“China has been restrained in the face of all the tweets and rhetoric because they hope they can put the US-China relationship on an even keel,” Glaser said. “The Chinese have not given up on that, but at some point Xi Jinping may have to because being seen as weak would damage his ability to consolidate power.”

This year is crucial for Xi as his first term winds down. A critical Communist party meeting at the end of the year will involve a cabinet shuffle and will likely determine who succeeds Xi, with leaders locked in a power struggle to appoint their allies.

While Tillerson did not elaborate on how the US would bar China from islands in the South China Sea, experts agreed it would have to involve some form of military deployment.

“Blocking China’s access, presumably with US warships, would precipitate a crisis, a military clash,” said Ashley Townshend, a fellow at the University of Sydney’s United States studies centre.

“It is also illegal under the same rules the US is conducting all of its current policy in the South China Sea.”

Under Barack Obama, the US maintained a neutral stance on sovereignty claims, not recognising any ownership and often sailing warships through the South China Sea in what it called freedom of navigation exercises.

“Tillerson, like Trump, is shaping up to taking a much more hawkish stance with China on the South China Sea and indeed more broadly,” Townshend added.

But a more assertive stance on what China sees as its territorial integrity is likely to cause more tension, with Xi saying in a speech last year: “No foreign country should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit of damage to our sovereignty, security and development interests.”

Tillerson also slammed China for failing to reign in North Korea’s nuclear program, describing China as having “complete control over what sustains the government of North Korea.”

“We cannot continue to accept empty promises, like the ones China has made made to pressure North Korea to reform only to shy away from enforcement,” Tillerson said. “Looking the other way when trust is broken only encourages more bad behavior. It must end.”

The boisterous language on both the South China Sea and North Korea is unlikely to force China to act, and may even hamper efforts of Trump’s administration to encourage cooperation in other areas.

“I can’t think of a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue that doesn’t involve China and the US working together,” Townshend said. “But publicly calling out China is not the best strategy if you are trying to induce them to cooperate.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...outh-china-sea

Originally Posted by Looper

Tillerson said China’s control and construction of artificial islands in waters claimed by neighbouring countries was “akin to Russia’s taking of Crimea”.

Oh, Putin will love this.

^It is looking interesting. Mad Dog Mattis has said Russia are posing the biggest threat to NATO since WWII at his hearing. I think they should let Russia off and bomb these chinky islands instead. Divide and conquer.

Originally Posted by Looper

While Tillerson did not elaborate on how the US would bar China from islands in the South China Sea, experts agreed it would have to involve some form of military deployment.

Thank god for experts. I thought they were going to prevent access using strong words and sanctions - ha ha

Pretty funny all the Putin worshipers here thought that Drumpf was going to a peacenik.

Originally Posted by Looper

Thank god for experts

They are in front of their examiners and will say what is required to pass. passing an exam shows one can perform on que. it is not indicator of achieving success in a real job.

Will they walk the walk once safely installed. One should wait and see rather than obliterating cities to win "fake" success.

Originally Posted by bsnub

Drumpf was going to a peacenik.

I believe the consensus was that, of the two candidates, Mr. Trump was the lesser evil of the two.

Again will he, if he successfully becomes POTUSE, walk the walk?