Monday, July 20, 2015

China Blames U.S. Incursions In The South China Sea For Tensions Between Washington And Beijing

Chinese dredging vessels are allegedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands area in this still image from a video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and provided by the U.S. Navy May 21, 2015. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout

IBTimes: US Navy South China Sea Surveillance Flyover Harmed Bilateral Relations: Beijing Defense Officials

A high-ranking U.S. Navy officer acknowledged Monday he participated in a routine surveillance flyover of the disputed waters of the South China Sea Saturday. Chinese defense officials have responded by saying the move has contributed to the continuing strain on bilateral relations between Washington and Beijing.

Adm. Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, confirmed at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, that he had been aboard a seven-hour Boeing P-8 surveillance flight to oversee the military’s new operational capabilities, Reuters reported.

Previous Post: U.S. Navy Prepares To Deploy More Ships And Conduct More Exercises In Asia To Deter China

WNU Editor: The Chinese are making it very clear to the U.S. that they will not tolerate such incursions in the future. The next question that needs to be answered is .... what will the Chinese do when the next U.S. plane/ship passes through.

2 comments:

Colin Turner said...

Probably nothing, China wouldn't want to go to war with the US.

B.Poster said...

"Probably nothing" is probably right. While there's little doubt that China would win a conventional war with the US at this time, I think it would likely be to costly to them at this time to consider it. As for a nuclear war, if this occurred, Russia would likely enter on the side of China. So, in this scenario, China likely wins here as well but again I agree "probably nothing" as the cost would likely be higher than China would want right now.