Philippines Warship, Chinese Vessels in Standoff: The Philippines foreign ministry said the standoff began Tuesday when Manila's flagship naval vessel, the Gregorio del Pilar, confronted eight Chinese fishing boats near a disputed shoal off the northwest province of Zambales. It said the two Chinese surveillance vessels then positioned themselves between the Philippines Navy ship and the fishing vessels, "preventing the arrest of the erring Chinese fishermen."
Both countries claim ownership of the shoal, which is known as Panatag in the Philippines, and as Huangyan Island in China. Tensions in the region have risen in recent years as China becomes increasingly assertive about its claims over the entire 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea, which is thought to be rich in oil and gas.
China sends 3rd ship in standoff with Philippines: China deployed a third ship Thursday in an area of the disputed South China Sea where a tense standoff with Philippine vessels has dragged on, sparking alarm in Manila. One of the Chinese ships blocked the entrance to a lagoon at the shoal, where at least eight Chinese fishing vessels were anchored. The Chinese ships also ordered the Philippine warship to leave Scarborough, claiming Chinese sovereignty over the rich fishing ground.
But the warship has stayed put, arguing it is Philippine territory. "We're not retreating from our own territory," Pama said. Aside from Scarborough, the South China Sea is home to a myriad of competing territorial claims, most notably the Spratly Islands south of the shoal, an island chain claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Philippines, US Begin Military Exercises as Standoff With China Continues
Philippines, China recall protest to ease standoff
China is squeezing all her neighbors in what is just a developing fight for Asian seas and islands unfound mineral and other natural riches.:
TONY JONES, Australian Broadcasting: Now, do you support the idea of using the Cocos Islands as an air base for US surveillance aircraft? DAVID JOHNSTON: Oh, absolutely. I think our closest ally, if they're prepared to assist us in the management of what is a huge maritime frontier, I would welcome that and I know the Coalition would welcome that.
TONY JONES: There does seem to be a plan to either replace or supplement Diego Garcia, to build another version of it possibly. We should note that the US Navy operates that base in Diego Garcia for warships. It also has a military air base there under lease from Britain. So would a Coalition government be prepared to undertake a similar arrangement with the United States in the Cocos Islands?
Cocos Island - Image Results It is absolutely gorgeous and geographically placed to spy on China!
US, Thailand hold largest military drill in Asia Pacific: The Cobra Gold 2012, the largest ever multinational military exercise in the Asia-Pacific region jointly held by Thailand and the United States, began in Thailand on Feb. 7. More than 13,000 military personnel from the United States, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia have participated in the 11-day exercise.
The Cobra Gold exercise has been held annually since 1982. Given the large scale and busy schedule of the 31st Cobra Gold exercise this time and America’s newly unveiled military strategy that switches focus to the Asia-Pacific region, analysts believe that this exercise will be an important step the United States takes to enhance ties and expand cooperation with its Asian allies and to achieve its goal of “returning to Asia” and shifting its strategic focus eastward.
China says US defense policy stance misjudges Beijing intent: judge for yourself
China says US defense policy stance misjudges Beijing intent: The United States' expanded military presence in Asia is based on a miscalculation of Beijing's intent to modernize its military defenses, China said on Monday, taking a tempered stance in its first official response to Washington's plan. The United States unveiled a defense strategy last week to boost capacity in Asia, an attempt to counter China's growing ability to check U.S. power in the region, that comes with a pledged reduction in the overall size of U.S. forces. I think we have it just right this time if Iran will allow us the luxury.
China and U.S. Brinkmanship in the South China Sea: Two weeks ago, The Washington Post broadsided us with another Beltway bombshell: China's "Underground Great Wall" – a "vast network of tunnels" with a "sophisticated missile and nuclear arsenal" dug by "a secretive branch of the Chinese military."
China is also challenging its neighbors over the Spratly Islands, the Paracels, the Scarborough Shoals, Reed Bank and Tungsha in a South China Sea home to 17.7 billion tons of oil and gas? According to the Indonesian Center of Democracy, Diplomacy and Defense, Beijing has deployed 27 battleships, an aircraft carrier and unknown submarines to the area amid competing claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
After years of covering the growing tensions between China the US and all of the rest of Asia feeling bullied by China the story is getting long. Factbox: Pentagon details China's military expansion :The Pentagon said that China was on track to forge a modern military by 2020, a rapid buildup that could be potentially destabilizing to the Asia-Pacific region. Its annual assessment to Congress on China flagged all the major concerns over its growing military might, including Beijing's widening edge over Taiwan.
It also noted cyber attacks in 2010 -- including on U.S. government computers -- that appear to have originated in China. Here are details from the report Wow check out the wide expansion
The United States wants a prominent role in Asia to counter China's developing aggression The U.S. move to "return to Asia" aims to gain more interests from Asia's regional development and cement its dominant position in Asia. First, it should learn to get along with China. Its "return" to Asia has drawn people's attention back to a possible confrontation between itself and China. Many Western scholars believe that the reassertion of the leading U.S. role in Asia is directed against China because only China's rise can pose a potential challenge to its hegemony. Furthermore, a few Asian countries hope to take advantage of the United States, especially its military power, to strike a so-called strategic balance with China
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U.S. wants to use India in missile shield against Russia, China
We have been discussing increased tensions due to ownership claims over long disputed islands and unrecovered raw material riches below the east and South China Seas for years. China is embroiled in territorial disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei Japan, and India:
China has been making all these ownership claims while warning other Asian countries to stay away. Meanwhile they have supposedly been building their world war machine with "innocent" intentions. China accuses Japan of exaggerating it as a military threat: It is no exaggeration it is called truth and you better be concerned
and China calls weapons modernization drive warnings alarmist "cock-and-bull story.
Also US senators warn Beijing on South China Sea, China warns US to stay out of it
All this to no avail as China's answer is always that her intentions are innocent "yeah like Hitler's military buildup prior to WW2" We must all stop playing these games at this point and like it or not "share" if we are to survive into the future. Sadly we know the powers to be are not smart enough to do that. We are already in severe trouble with the condition of the world environmentally and due to power struggles getting ready to erupt in the Middle East and make things horrifically worse in many regards.
I am a little worried that China too is getting a little too heavy handed and abusive with her new position of power and beginning to take what she wants instead of being content with what she has which is what I constantly lecture has to be the case if we are to have a future. The time when man and the planet could handle war and colonialism is over, period or else!
We are Taiwan's, the Philippines, and Japan's protectors and now Vietnam's. Vietnam is no real threat to China so what is up here? As China flex's their military muscles in the area we are not supposed to worry. Just what are we supposed to think they are going to do with their advanced weaponry, missiles, stealth aircraft, aircraft carriers and the like.
Their threats are going to become more ominous until they cannot be ignored and it is too late. We have been here before. The world was not supposed to worry as Hitler built his arsenal and we know how that turned out. If peace is truly the goal then try something unique and share the wealth. We need peace to succeed as a world into the 21st century not more and never ending war.
To make the situation worse as we've discussed often, the US is pledged to defend Taiwan who "at least they say" will never unify under China. There is no way we can get militarily involved with China's lust to rebuild Imperial China. Three years ago the US signed a deal to deliver a massive amount of advanced weaponry to Taiwan. The package includes a variety of U.S.-made weapons systems, including Patriot III anti-missile missiles, Apache attack helicopters, Harpoon missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles.This was 3 years ago Some deliveries are in process and some still being worked out.
China is not taking this lying down! We have covered East, South, and China sea disputes extensively
Knowing all of this I must once again express naivety. We are so kept in the dark as to any truth in any incident here and around the world. I had no idea or even thought in this context but President Hu Jintao's call for a rejuvenation of the country 100 years after the Xinhai Revolution that ended more than 2,000 years of dynastic rule in China is something new to me. Worse part is that this includes Taiwan too and China is not going to settle for no! China Urges Reunification at 100th Anniversary of Demise of Last Dynasty
President Hu calls on all of China's sons and daughters to join hands to carry on with the work of the Chinese Republic's first president, Sun Yat-sen, and realize his ideals of what he described as “China's great rejuvenation.” China has not been building her military and flexing her muscles for nothing. China wants Asia period and not just supremacy. She is going to have her Dynasty once again United States be damned. I do not like this, once again we are putting ourselves right in the middle of a growing conflict or war.
As we discussed there have been at least three cases of groups of Chinese military ships crossing through the area of Okinawa since November 2008, first 4 ships then 6 then 8 and now 10 including destroyers and submarines. That case appeared to be the first involving surfaced submarines. The group of 10 ships, including the submarines, was observed about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Okinawa in international waters.
Two missile destroyers and three frigate ships from the same group were spotted participating in a flight exercise of carrier-based helicopters April 7-9, the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff Office said in a statement The war ships were in international waters but close to Okinawa and Japan was not notified. That area as you may know has natural resources under the ocean and islands claimed by both Nations.
It is important that we stay in Okinawa as China plays a more important role in Asia and around the world as she gains strength militarily and economically as we just discussed. Remember our discussion on the importance of China and the US staying together to move successfully through the 21st century
We must maintain as much of the old world balance and order as we can to maintain a balance as we try to move progressively and successfully through the 21st century! I know of China and Japan's past, I know of the still ongoing Island disputes, the disagreement over natural gas in another area of the East China Sea, I also remember that with China's economic clout rising she took the number 3 seat on the world bank and we talk constantly that China is taking the leading role in Asia and Asia relations.
Being in a superior position puts one in a unique position of power and that power must be handled gracefully, with humility, responsibly, and not abused. That is something I taught all my sons and America under Bush did a lousy job of handling. I am a little worried that China too is getting a little too heavy handed and abusive with her new position of power and beginning to take what she wants instead of being content with what she has which is what I constantly lecture has to be the case if we are to have a future. The time when man and the planet could handle war and colonialism is over, period or else!
We are Taiwan's and Japan's protectors. As China flex's their military muscles in the area we are not supposed to worry. Just what are we supposed to think they are going to do with their advanced weaponry, missiles, stealth aircraft, aircraft carriers and the like. Their threats are going to become more ominous until they cannot be ignored and it is too late. We have been here before. The world was not supposed to worry as Hitler built his arsenal and we know how that turned out.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
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