That was a long time coming and thankfully passed without incident.
In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility
Gottfried Leibniz
That was a long time coming and thankfully passed without incident.
Now what?
No such thing as a good tax - Churchill
To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.
Angry words about sovereignty apparently
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nationa.../shdaily.shtml
And regular rinse and repeat by the US and others until China gets the point.
In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility
Gottfried Leibniz
What kind of armament can you put on an artificial atoll of that size? Supposedly the Chinese themselves consider the atoll a symbolic gesture that stands no chance against a USN warship.
All those who are merciful with the cruel will come to be cruel to the merciful.
-Talmud Kohelet Rabbah, 7:16.
From the pictures I've seen, plenty. Especially if there's an airfield.
Of course, the Chinese are correct: If the U.S. decided to resurface that atoll, it'd be a simple matter of GPS coordinates. But that would mean full-on war with China and nobody wants that.
So, symbolic gesture becomes (or attempts to become) sovereign territory.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know neither victory nor defeat ~ Theodore Roosevelt
I have heard (via NPR) that they have actually managed to construct runways and docks on some of the atolls and, therefore, consider the islands to be sovereign Chinese territory. Legally, the USS Lassen was within it's rights to sail at the 12-mile limit, but I think the Chinese consider the international demarcation line to be 20 miles (33 km) out; this is a naval version of flying a B-52 over the islands like we did a couple of years ago.
U.S. Destroyer Sails Near Disputed Islands In South China Sea
"There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge
American warship in South China Sea: US says more frequent patrols expected
Why are the Chinese always complaining like a teenager? Use the damn J-20 invisible fighter and blast the US warship.
"There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge
Back in the 80's & 90's, we did FON all the time, but honestly we did steer clear of the Spratley's for the most part, so as not to antagonize them.
They have been building up and militarizing those atolls for decades. I remember them bringing out a tank and parking it on one.![]()
Considering that the PLAN already has sailed quite close to the Alaskan coastline, a lot of their protests sound like it's contractually obliged.
Beijing will retaliate with its demilitarized Coast Guard; i.e, they block the way of FON with fishing vessels and other "civilian" ships so if the US tries to retaliate it'll be blasting "civilians" and it can make a scene. It's what it's been doing in the SCS for ages.
Beijing's endgame will probably be a negotiated solution with claimants, because they can't simply be so daft as to think they can unconditionally annex the SCS. They probably want military sovereignty and suzerainity in the region; economic benefits can be traded away, but they are taking a damn long time to get to the end-game. I guess if they have an irritating wound, they see no incentive to pull back and pull out.
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