The US Navy will send ships to sail within 12 miles of the Spratley islands (now rebuilt and claimed by China). Isn’t this a bit risky? China’s claims to the islands date back to Imperial times, and nobody else wants them (except the Philippines, which has sent a rusty old ship into these waters).
What will this provocation accomplish? the Chinese will not be swayed, and frankly, is this anything to get concerned about?
I think the next big typhoon will take care of the Chinese bases, and anyway, the global warming nuts insist that they will soon be underwater, anyway. So why play hardball over such a trivial issue?
Old fashioned saber rattling. It’s how the game is played. China expects it, and has probably already written the speech condemning it.
Nobody else wants them? Seriously?
Read up about these nation’s claims to the Spratley Islands:
Brunei
Taiwan
Vietnam
Malaysia
The Philippines
…and China.
Furthermore the Spratleys are not just a handful of rocks spread over a few acres of the sea. Instead they comprise 30,000 islands and reefs spread over 164,000 sq miles which is an enormous area when you further extrapolate out a 200 mile economic zone. Most of the South China Sea.
Even the 12 mile sovereignty zone provides an equivalent area to that of The Philippines.
So whomever claims and successfully defends the Spratleys gains one of the largest fishing and mineral zones of any country.
Have a look at this to appreciate the potential dominance of the Spratleys:
This is nothing like hardball, it’s a very low step on the escalation ladder.
I believe the biggest issue is that there are large oil and gas fields in the area, which is why China wants to claim them. And the OP said they’re “rebuilding” the islands, as if China is returning them to a previous state of being. That’s not the case; China is turning reefs into artificial islands, with airstrips, military installations and lighthouses. See this article from the New York Times.
Is it possible that the US might have a strategic interest in keeping the Philippines happy?
There aren’t any bases or anything important like that over there, are there?
Probably not.
Absolutely right - which is what I meant when referring to mineral rights on the sovereign and extended economic zones.
The PI booted the US out of Subic bay, so i guess they didn’t want an American presence…until now.
Funny to see right-wingers cucking for the ChiComs as long as Obama’s at the helm. I guess its not surprising considering plenty of them are bending over for Putin already.
Funny to see Obama fucking around, interfering all over the world with the ChiComs and Putin (not to mention the Middle East). Don’t recall Bush interfering in Russia or w/China.
Just because you don’t recall anything, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Here are just the first couple of reminders:
http://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/us-russian-relations-beyond-the-reset_459.html
Sorry, pardner, fortifying established bases in NATO countries is quite a bit different than interfering in the Ukraine/USSR thing.
**OldGuy **: 0
hh: 1
Anything irrelevant on China?
Bush sent military support to Georgia when it was invaded by Russia. And anyways its because the ChiComs and the Russians are a bigger threat now than previously.
“Cucking?”
[Del]sniff Our little boy is growing up![/del]
Brandeis is agreeing with you, I see…
ralph124c, you might want to take a look at a map of the region, such as this one: china spratly island claim map - Bing
You can see that China is the furthest away of all the claiments.
Chinese claims to “imperial times” is pretty dubious.
Enforcing freedom of the seas has been US policy for over 200 years. As the OP points out, this is really about the Spratleys, but 12 miles way from the Spratleys is international waters, so the US can hang out there if they want. It’s interesting that the administration chose the 12 mile mark, as that marks the end of the territorial waters of the Spratleys. Even if we recognized CHina’s claim we’d have an absolute right to operate there in peacetime.
First, there is no proof that substantial gas and oil deposits lie under the Spratly islands. Second, china has asserted its claims since the 19th century. Third, while we might not like what they are doing, it is no different than what we did in Guam, Hawaii, the Canal Zone, etc.
If the Chinese strike oil, it will be a positive thing, as it will further weaken OPEC. however, as i have said, the next typhoon to strike the region will likely wash away the built up islands, so, why worry.
You think the Chinese are spending billions of dollars to reinforce their claim to islands and potential vast mineral resources only to give up the next time there’s a storm? Really?
In other words, this is like a WWE match. The “Allies” and US Domestic politics have been told that "look we are challenging China: and China has been assured that the US will do sweet fuck all to stop them.
I think it’s more, “we are challenging CHina, but in the least offensive way possible and consistent with 200 years of precedent.” If there’s any escalation, that will be on China, not us.