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

Originally Posted by docmartin

The US Navy's Pacific Fleet has drawn up a classified proposal to carry out a global show of force as a warning to China, according to defence officials.

Should be renamed the US Department of Offence...or Offense. Whatever floats yer boats...

Originally Posted by SKkin

Should be renamed the US Department of Offence...or Offense.

Or just revert back to the more appropriate name. Department of War.

Originally Posted by Norton

Or just revert back to the more appropriate name. Department of War.

Or the Department of Bluster.
Obama said that if Assad used chemicals weapons again that would be crossing a line (because killing kiddies with chemicals is wicked and wrong, unlike killing them with lead or phosphorous which is somehow acceptable) - but what happened when the barrels dropped again ?
Nothing.

Originally Posted by docmartin

except to be the world's self-appointed policeman of course

While being encouraged by Mahathir who famously dislikes western influence in Asia.

With power comes responsibility.

China is not behaving responsibly with its military power by illegally claiming sovereignty over the SCS and intimidating other nations right of passage.

It is using it's military for the narrow self-serving ends that seem to drive all of its international relations including its debt-diplomacy with developing countries.

More power to the US if they are willing to get involved and put pressure on the chinks to straighten up.

The world deserves better role models than the Chinese.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

So you're OK with the chinkies just taking over the whole area and deciding who uses the waters it's stolen?

Why the chinkies do not do it in a "legal" way by acquiring or renting (or grabbing) a foreign land like some other righteous states, to have something like e.g. Hawaii, Diego Garcia, Guantanamo, Puerto Rico, etc.?

Then they can enjoy the waters around legally, can't they?

Philippine Analysts: War Between Rival Superpowers Unlikely in South China Sea

An all-out war in the South China Sea is unlikely at this stage even though military giants the United States and China appear to be positioning themselves aggressively in the disputed waters of the maritime region, analysts said.

The Philippines entered the fray last week when Manila assured Beijing that it would not take part in maritime exercises in the sea being purportedly planned by the U.S., in deference to Chinese leader Xi Jinping who is scheduled to visit the country next month. Washington, however, has officially denied that such plans were in the offing, as first reported by American news channel CNN two weeks ago.

Both the U.S. and China are merely posturing, according to Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines.

“I do not think we are moving toward war,” Batongbacal told BenarNews. “Despite the rhetoric, it is not in either country’s interest to engage in a full-blown war with each other.”

While the U.S. had not “restrained” itself from armed conflict with other states such as Afghanistan, Iraq or Panama, Washington may choose to tread carefully vis-à-vis China, which can possibly match it in “nuclear capability” and “war fighting capability,” he said.

And directly challenging Beijing over the South China Sea remains unpopular among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which recently moved toward a collective response of appeasement.

“A serious armed conflict is also not in the interest of any one of the countries in the region despite their issues with China,” Batongbacal said.

“ASEAN as a whole does not want to become a battleground for the super powers, and likely prefers a more moderate, mediatory role between the two competing powers.”



A student holds up a placard during a protest by hundreds of demonstrators in Baguio city, northern Philippines, against Chinese territorial expansion in the South China Sea, Feb. 23, 2018. [Karl Romano/BenarNews]





The Russian factor

Overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea have long been a source of tension in the region, pitting China against rival Taiwan and ASEAN states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

This had led to violence in the past, and the mineral-rich sea remains a constant focus of regional tensions. Recently, the Southeast Asian bloc and China agreed to a draft of “code of conduct” to govern actions in the region, which many considered a positive development.

But China has continued with its militarization efforts in the sea, expanding islands that it claims and installing anti-aircraft weapons. These developments have worried the U.S., which responded recently by conducting freedom of navigation flights and sailing in the South China Sea.

In addition, China’s friendship with Russia, another super power that rivals the U.S., is seen as complicating matters, even though Moscow at this stage would not directly engage in a conflict far from its sphere of influence, analysts said.

Russia remains focused on Europe and former Soviet states, and its interests lie farther westward than in Southeast Asia, which is less geopolitically important to Moscow, they said.

“Russia has its own issues with the U.S., which it chooses to address on its own and without earnest need for Chinese collaboration or coordination,” Batongbacal said, adding that Moscow, however, would not mind “taking positions or actions that are against the U.S.”

“Russia will look out for its interests; if China happens to benefit from that, well and good; but Russia does not have to go out of its way to look out for China’s interests also,” he said.

‘Revanchist behavior’

Meanwhile, Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, like Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, has been careful about stoking tensions in the sea, warning in a recent interview that an agitated China could present more problems for Southeast Asia, which relies heavily on the South China Sea for trade and shipping.

Irritating China could escalate tensions and lead to war, the Malaysian prime minister told BBC News.

According to Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University in Manila, Mahathir has taken the lead as ASEAN’s elder statesman with regard to tensions in the South China Sea.

And the 93-year-old leader has used that authority to point out Beijing’s “revanchist behavior” at the expense of smaller countries like the Philippines while, at the same time, advocating for peace with calls for demilitarization and a cessation of general hostilities.

“This is consistent with his non-aligned foreign policy outlook and long-time commitment to a dialogue-based resolution of disputes,” Heydarian said.

“What’s new, however, is his forthright criticism of Chinese expansionism, whether through predatory infrastructure deals or reclamation activities in contested waters,” he added.

Heydarian said Russia enjoyed a “strategic” relationship with China, having conducted joint exercises in the past, but Moscow would likely not gamble away its warm relations with other claimant countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, for example.

“In fact Russia has been a major source of armaments for Vietnam, including advanced submarines, which are being used to deter Chinese intrusion into Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea,” Heydarian said.

As Moscow slowly pivots as well to Asia, it remains conscious of carving out a role for itself in the region, whether militarily or commercially, Heydarian said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to visit the Philippines in November, in what the Duterte administration here has sold as an alternative to long-standing U.S. relations.

Duterte was expected to lay out the red carpet for his Chinese counterpart, during a visit which comes as both countries are in the final stages of negotiating a joint exploration-sharing deal in the South China Sea.

The deal could likely cover the Reed Bank, also called Recto Bank, in the South China Sea that is believed rich in mineral deposits. The area lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which was affirmed by an arbitration court in 2016, although China has continued to contest its ownership.

Xi’s upcoming visit is aimed at “further cementing” bilateral relations, the Philippine government has said.


https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...018124657.html

Originally Posted by misskit

expanding islands that it claims and installing anti-aircraft weapons. These developments have worried the U.S., which responded recently by conducting freedom of navigation flights and sailing in the South China Sea.

Reaction to continuous incursions on China's islands will cause more conflicts.

Originally Posted by misskit

which was affirmed by an arbitration court in 2016,

Which had no jurisdiction to affirm anything.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Reaction to continuous incursions on China's islands will cause more conflicts.

They aren't making incursions on "China's islands". They don't own them.

Have you not grasped this fundamental fact yet?

Just because your beloved Chinkies say they "own" something does not make it so, you simpering sychophant.

China's Xi Opens Major Sea Bridge During Symbolic Tour to Southern China



HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened one of the world's longest bridges on Tuesday, during a tour to southern China that is seen by some as an opportunity for Beijing to reaffirm its commitment to economic liberalization.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is made up of nearly 35-km (22-mile) bridge and road sections and a 6.7 km (4-mile) tunnel, and has been dubbed the longest "bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing" in the world.

It will link the financial hub of Hong Kong to the relatively less developed western reaches of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, as well as the former Portuguese colony and gambling hub of Macau.

Xi said nothing during the inauguration of the bridge on Tuesday morning other than to declare it officially open to a burst of fireworks projected onto a screen behind him.

Hong Kong authorities have defended the bridge's HK$120 billion price tag, saying it would consolidate Hong Kong's position as a regional aviation and logistics hub.

Xi's visit to the southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong had been shrouded in secrecy, with state media making little mention of his itinerary before he showed up for the bridge opening.

Some observers see Xi's tour to the south as highly symbolic, coming on the 40th anniversary of the beginning of China's reforms, when the country began a transformation from a centrally planned to a market-driven economy with "Chinese characteristics".

Vice premier Han Zheng said the bridge would help drive China's strategic blueprint for a "Greater Bay Area" around the Pearl River Delta modeled on other global economic dynamos like San Francisco Bay and Tokyo Bay.

"The bridge stimulates the interaction and trades between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, facilitates the development of the Greater Bay Area and boost the comprehensive competitiveness of the Pearl River Delta," Han said.

Some critics, however, see the bridge as a white elephant that is part of a multi-pronged push by China to exert greater control over Hong Kong, which returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 amid promises to preserve the city's high degree of autonomy and individual freedoms denied in mainland China.

The bridge was first proposed in the late 1980s, but it was opposed at the time by Hong Kong’s British colonial government, which was wary of development that might draw the city closer to Communist China.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...au-bridge-open

^ Good BBC vid of it here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-as...huhai-crossing

Who needs a runway, when they can come with tanks over the bridge...

Top Philippine Diplomat: South China Sea Code Might Not be Achieved

A legally binding code of conduct to govern actions by Beijing and other claimants in the South China Sea might not be attained, the Philippines said Monday, two months after the ASEAN regional bloc announced a breakthrough in related negotiations.


Teodoro Locsin, the newly appointed Philippine foreign secretary, made the comments after meeting with his Chinese counterpart and after the chief of U.S. naval operations stressed that his country would continue to advance “freedom of navigation” in the disputed sea region.


“Perhaps, we will not be able to arrive at a legally binding COC but it will be the standard on how people of ASEAN, governments of ASEAN will behave toward each other – always with honor, never with aggression and always for the mutual progress,” Locsin said at a joint news conference with his Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, referring to the so-called Code of Conduct.


Rival territorial claims are a burning issue that must be resolved between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, but there is no reason why joint cooperation cannot move forward, Locsin said.


Apart from China and Taiwan, the Philippines and fellow ASEAN countries Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the sea.


The Philippines and the other ASEAN claimant states have been pushing for a legally binding code. In August, China agreed to a draft that would eventually serve as its basis.


Officials said the code would spell out legal parameters of what each claimant state could do in a bid to avoid the disputes from spiraling out of control. Some countries want the code to be binding and subject to ratification by signatory states.


Wang said China would follow the final agreement, saying that “whether or not it is legally binding, any document we have signed we will strictly abide by it and firmly implement it.”


He said the relationship between the Philippines and China had improved significantly since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016 and that the situation in the South China Sea was “improving and getting more stable.”


“Countries concerned have come back to the table of dialogue and negotiations and consultations to properly handle the differences,” Wang said. “Together with ASEAN countries, China and these countries are jointly upholding peace and stability.”


He said Chinese officials were looking forward to working with ASEAN and other claimants as they stepped up efforts.
China, in particular, was ready to discuss with the Philippines joint development of oil and gas in the disputed region, a proposal that “contains political wisdom,” Wang said.


“If our two countries can have joint development without prejudice to each other’s sovereign claim, that will help resolve a potential energy shortage in the Philippines,” he said. “It will also provide a practical way for China and the Philippines to properly handle the related differences.”


What’s more, if the joint venture goes ahead without a hitch, it would set an example for similar cooperation efforts between China and other claimants, he said.


The two countries are working on a proposal to jointly develop the area, with a 60 percent to 40 percent sharing deal favoring the Philippines.


No details have been finalized, but Philippine officials had said the project could take place in Reed Bank. The area lies within Manila’s exclusive economic zone, which is believed to lie atop rich natural deposits, and joint exploration there is against the Constitution.



Xi plans visit


Philippine and Chinese officials also discussed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned November visit, which, they said, could signal an increase in cooperation between the two countries.


Previously, Chinese officials had expressed concern over what they claimed were planned U.S.-led maritime exercises to coincide with Xi’s visit.


On Monday, American navy chief Adm. John Richardson said there was no such operation being planned in the region, even while he indicated that U.S. forces would keep pressing for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and elsewhere.


Richardson met with Filipino military chief Gen. Carlito Galvez and said the U.S. stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the Philippines in “pursuit of regional peace and stability.”


“For more than 70 years the United States and the Philippines have remained steadfast friends, partners and allies dedicated to ensuring security, order and prosperity throughout the region,” he said.


“Our relationship is built not just on shared values, but strong people-to-people and societal ties and nowhere is that felt more than in the military relationship,” Richardson said.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...018131012.html

Originally Posted by misskit

but there is no reason why joint cooperation cannot move forward,

Yes there is. China will take what it wants and fight to do so and will not agree to any compromise. Counting on the US to not intervene militarily. They've made their calculations and estimate the US will only froth and spit and avoid all-out war. They know that if they sink a couple of PI ships, PI will do nothing but bark and the US will do nothing but "strongly condemn".

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Yes there is. China will take what it wants and fight to do so and will not agree to any compromise. Counting on the US to not intervene militarily. They've made their calculations and estimate the US will only froth and spit and avoid all-out war. They know that if they sink a couple of PI ships, PI will do nothing but bark and the US will do nothing but "strongly condemn".

They won't have to sink any ships, they'll just put Duterte in hock and then tell him what to do like they do everywhere else they poison.

Security Experts Doubt Beijing Will Pull Missiles from South China Sea

Security analysts expressed doubts Monday that Beijing would heed Washington’s demand to remove its missile systems from a disputed South China Sea island chain, despite a rare statement from the United States urging the Chinese to do so.


The statement, released at the end of last week’s second U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington, was believed to be the first time the United States had directly addressed the issue as it confirmed earlier reports of Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly islands.


“It is certain that they [China] would not demilitarize the islands,” Seth Cropsey, director at the Center for American Seapower at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told BenarNews. “There is no evidence that any of their aggressive moves in the South China Sea have been moderated. The evidence is to the contrary.”


“It is extremely unlikely that a statement from a U.S. official or two is going to reverse the course of policy of China over the past 10 years,” Cropsey added.


Cropsey cited China’s recent installation of military facilities on its outposts, including the expansion of shoals into artificial islands, in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.


Six months ago, the U.S. TV news network CNBC, reported that China had installed surface-to-air missile systems and anti-ship cruise missiles on three of its outposts in the sea region – Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef – in April or May. CNBC cited sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence documents.


The Pentagon declined to comment after the story came out.


Friday’s statement from the U.S. came after secretaries of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and James Mattis held talks with Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. The four met as part of an annual diplomatic and security dialogue, which was originally set for Beijing last month but had been called off amid rising tensions.


“The United States called on China to withdraw its missile systems from disputed features in the Spratly Islands, and reaffirmed that all countries should avoid addressing disputes through coercion or intimidation,” said the statement released on Friday.


Cropsey said Washington could attempt to “punish” Beijing through increased economic and diplomatic pressure. That could include tighter security cooperation with Taiwan and possible increases to naval patrols in the sea, the analyst said.

Taiwan also claims all of the Spratlys, an archipelago of about 100 islets, reefs and atolls. But Beijing claims that Taiwan belongs to China.


It is “very unlikely” that China will heed the U.S. demand, Jeffrey Ordaniel, a research fellow at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum, said on Twitter.


“China faced no consequences when it ignored” earlier calls from Washington to halt reclamation in marine features in the Spratly archipelago that are claimed by China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, said Ordaniel, whose research institute is a former subsidiary of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another think tank.
There would be “no reason for it to fold now,” he said.



Washington: ‘Not pursuing a Cold War’


Back in February, surveillance photographs published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer showed that China had almost completed transforming seven Philippine-claimed reefs in the Spratlys into military outposts.


After that report came out, Sung Kim, the American Ambassador to the Philippines, told reporters in Manila that Washington would be concerned “anytime a claimant, including China, takes an aggressive unilateral action toward militarization.”


“It seems to suggest that they (China) are moving toward militarization,” he said, as he reiterated the importance of keeping a U.S. naval presence in the region.


During Friday’s dialogue with the Chinese officials, secretaries Mattis and Pompeo emphasized that Washington was “not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with China.”


“Rather, we want to ensure that China acts responsibly and fairly in support of security and prosperity in each of our two countries,” Pompeo told reporters. He said that despite differences the two nations would still cooperate on a wide range of issues.


A statement from the State Department said China and the U.S. “reaffirmed the importance of improving communication mechanisms to reduce the risk of misunderstanding between the two nations’ militaries.”


“The two sides decided to deepen engagement to advance their shared commitment to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery,” State said.


The Philippines and the other ASEAN claimant states have been pushing for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. In August, China agreed to a draft that would eventually serve as its basis.


Officials said the code would spell out legal parameters of what each claimant state could do in a bid to avoid the territorial disputes from spiraling out of control.


During the joint conference on Friday, politburo member Yang acknowledged that China had “undertaken some constructions on its islands and reefs. Most of them are civilian facilities.”


But the United States, he said, “should stop sending its vessels and military aircraft close to Chinese islands and reefs and stop actions that undermine China’s sovereignty and security interest,” according to a transcript released by the State Department.


Mattis responded that the United States made clear during the meeting that it will “continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.”


Last month, China expressed anger after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratlys. Officials described the operation as a threat to China’s sovereignty.


Wei, the Chinese defense minister, reiterated during a post-meeting news conference that China would take any necessary measures to ensure the eventual unification of Taiwan was not threatened.


“In the oath of allegiance to the U.S., there is this sentence saying this is a nation under God, indivisible. So it is the same with Taiwan. It is an inalienable part of China,” he said. “So if this territorial integrity is under threat, we will do it at any cost just like what the U.S. side had in Civil War.”


https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...018173851.html

Trump could always threaten not to pay them back what they're owed ***





*** I'm joking but then again you never know with that bald orange retard.

Originally Posted by misskit

“The United States called on China to withdraw its missile systems from disputed features in the Spratly Islands, and reaffirmed that all countries should avoid addressing disputes through coercion or intimidation,” said the statement released on Friday.

Originally Posted by misskit

“Rather, we want to ensure that China acts responsibly and fairly in support of security and prosperity in each of our two countries,” Pompeo

Originally Posted by misskit

politburo member Yang acknowledged that China had “undertaken some constructions on its islands and reefs. Most of them are civilian facilities.”

But the United States, he said, “should stop sending its vessels and military aircraft close to Chinese islands and reefs and stop actions that undermine China’s sovereignty and security interest,” according to a transcript released by the State Department.

Seems reasonable, stop militarizing the sea,air and land yourself.

Originally Posted by misskit

Mattis responded that the United States made clear during the meeting that it will “continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.

As will China it seems.

Originally Posted by misskit

The Philippines and the other ASEAN claimant states have been pushing for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. In August, China agreed to a draft that would eventually serve as its basis.

Allegedly the turning of the agreement so far into a signed document may take 3 years.

China hopes to finish S.China Sea Code of Conduct negotiations in 3 years: Chinese premier

"China hopes to finish negotiation over the South China Sea Code of Conduct within three years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday in Singapore as the ASEAN Summit kicked off in the city state.

Leaders of the ASEAN member countries gathered in Singapore on Tuesday to witness the opening of their 33rd summit themed "Resilient and Innovative."

China hopes to complete talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea within three years, clinching a final deal that will keep enduring peace in the region, Li said in a speech at the 44th Singapore Lecture.

Joint efforts of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have stabilized the South China Sea. Both sides should seize the chance to push for substantial progress on the COC talks, Li said.

The COC talks, launched by China and ASEAN countries, are a mechanism of equal participants, independent of external interference, he added."

More here:

China hopes to finish S.China Sea Code of Conduct negotiations in 3 years: Chinese premier - Global Times

‘Tell Us What Route to Take,’ Philippines’ Duterte to China Over Sea Dispute

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called for a code “at all costs” to regulate behavior of nations in the South China Sea and wanted China, which has set up military bases in the hotly disputed waters which it fully claims, to set a “route” for the region to take.


“So you are there, you are in possession, you occupy it, tell us what route shall we take and what kind of behavior,” Duterte told China on the sidelines of a summit of East Asian nations in Singapore where overlapping claims in the waterway was a key topic of discussions.


Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the meeting that Beijing hopes a South China Sea Code of Conduct “will be finished in three years’ time.”


The 10 members of ASEAN and China adopted a broad pact – the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) – in 2002 to exercise self-restraint and prevent non-militarization within the contested waters.


But efforts to pin down a specific sea code have been dragging on since then amid escalating tensions among South China Sea claimants.


Duterte, who is preparing to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Manila this month, said he discussed overlapping claims to the potentially mineral rich region during dinner with his counterparts Tuesday night at the summit hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).


Four of 10 ASEAN member states – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – are claiming parts of the resource-rich South China Sea together with Taiwan and China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea and has built up several small atolls and constructed military bases on them.


The U.S. military has conducted regular patrols in the South China Sea challenging China’s claims of sovereignty by sailing near or flying over the reclaimed islands, triggering tensions with Chinese military vessels.


Last week, the top defense officials and diplomats of both countries met for talks in Washington to stanch rising tensions.


The U.S. then called on China to withdraw its reported missile systems it had allegedly placed in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.


U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who accompanied Vice President Mike Pence to the summit, said Washington would oppose any agreements between China and other South China Sea claimants that limit free passage to international shipping, the Wall Street Journal reported.


On Tuesday, Bolton said the U.S. will step up patrols and increase both military spending and the level of engagement with other countries in the region to reinforce its position.


Bolton’s remarks served as a warning particularly for the Philippines, which is in talks with Beijing about jointly exploring natural resources in the contested area, the report said.


In meetings to develop the code of conduct, China has tried to secure a veto over Southeast Asian nations hosting military exercises with other countries in the disputed waters and could raise the potential to limit U.S. military engagement with countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, it said.


Duterte hinted that a current dispute between the U.S. and China was weighing on the security situation in the region.
“Everything has been excellent between China and the rest of the ASEAN except for the fact there is a friction between the Western nations and China,” Duterte told reporters, according to transcripts of the brief exchange released in Manila.


He said that China and ASEAN should work to finalize the code in the South China Sea because any “miscalculation” in the disputed area could lead to confrontations.


The United States is bound to the Philippines by a mutual defense treaty.


“Because of the treaty, I’d like to tell China, that is why at all costs we must have a COC (code of conduct),” Duterte said.


“ASEAN and China will continue to maintain a conducive environment for future rounds of negotiations of the COC,” said Duterte, whose country co-chairs the negotiations for the code.


In the meantime, he said both sides would continue to keep the peace, stability “and freedom of navigation and overflight.”


Also at the summit, ASEAN and China agreed to sign a “Strategic Partnership Vision 2030” which outlines a roadmap for a partnership through the next decade.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...018183517.html

Originally Posted by misskit

Washington would oppose any agreements between China and other South China Sea claimants that limit free passage to international shipping, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Pray tell which of the ASEAN + China's leaders have threatened such action against "international shipping"? Or is this another unattributed quote from a bought and paid for ameristani source? Or are we talking about nuclear weapon armed ameristani ships, planes and submarines?

Originally Posted by misskit

Bolton’s remarks served as a warning particularly for the Philippines,

ameristani government officers interfering in in a democratically elected governments actions with threats eh.

Do you approve of such behaviour?

Originally Posted by misskit

In meetings to develop the code of conduct, China has tried to secure a veto over Southeast Asian nations hosting military exercises with other countries in the disputed waters and could raise the potential to limit U.S. military engagement with countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, it said

A source from a person of substance for this accusation would assist your standing.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Pray tell which of the ASEAN + China's leaders have threatened such action against "international shipping"? Or is this another unattributed quote from a bought and paid for ameristani source? Or are we talking about nuclear weapon armed ameristani ships, planes and submarines?

You don't put missiles on land you don't own unless you are invited to do so by the owners or you have hostile intent.

ameristani government officers interfering in in a democratically elected governments actions with threats eh.

The seppos already had to bail out the flippers once. It is prudent to remind them that if they expect to avail themselves of the service in the future, a bit of quid pro quo is in order.

A source from a person of substance for this accusation would assist your standing.

Could be any of them. The chinkies don't want anyone threatening their creeping invasion. Look how snotty they got when Japan did a few circuits in a sub.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Oh, I think they stuck a flag or two in the sand under cover of their cannons, like the Englishman Captain Cook, duh Australia asleep during English history class eh, amongst others.

Ancient western legal move, it's been standard practice for centuries, even has a Latin term; "Terra Nullius".

"Terra nullius (/ˈtɛrə.nʌˈlaɪəs/, plural terrae nullius) is a Latin expression meaning "nobody's land",^[1] and is a principle sometimes used in international law to describe territory that may be acquired by a state's occupation of it.^[2] "

A partial list:

• Current claims of terra nullius
  
  • 2.1 Bir Tawil
    
  • 2.2 Antarctica
    
  
  
• 3 Historical claims of terra nullius
  
  • 3.1 Australia
  • 3.2 Svalbard
  • 3.3 Eastern Greenland
  • 3.4 Scarborough Shoal
  • 3.5 South Island of New Zealand
    
  • 3.6 Canada
    
  • 3.7 Guano Islands
  • 3.8 Pinnacle Islands (Senkaku/Diaoyu)
  • 3.9 Burkina Faso and Niger
  • 3.10 Clipperton Island
  • 3.11 Rockall
  • 3.12 Sealand
    
  • 3.13 Western Sahara
    
  
  

I'm pleased that you managed to discover this with Google, because now you can see that none of the islands that the Chinkies are are trying to nick are on the list.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

this with Google

What's this "Google" thing, something you wear whilst muff diving?

Originally Posted by OhOh

What's this "Google" thing, something you wear whilst muff diving?

A look, another feeble attempt at diversion.