George Amurao, Asia Times: China eyes Philippines’ strategic eastern shores
Manila's allowance for a Chinese state-funded think tank to conduct 'scientific' research at Benham Rise has raised concerns of ulterior motives.
After consolidating control over Philippine-claimed features in the South China Sea, China is now casting its gaze on the island nation’s eastern waters opening onto the Pacific Ocean.
Last week, Filipino Congressman Gary Alejano revealed in a privilege speech that the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) had approved a Chinese state-funded think tank’s request to conduct a scientific survey of the Benham Rise, a seismically active 13 million hectare underwater plateau.
As part of the agreement, China’s Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IO-CAS) will work with a team from the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute. Largely undeveloped, the marine feature is believed to be rich in natural gas, heavy metals, fisheries and other resources.
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WNU Editor: Using the playbook on the eastern shores of the Philippines as they have did on the western shores in the South China Sea .... who is to stop China if they should decide to build an artificial island(s) in these waters, and when completed then make their territorial claims. It may sound far-fetch .... but this is exactly what happened when China started to explore and construct artificial islands in the South China Sea .... most were not concerned until China completed their island construction, built their defenses, and then lay claim to the the entire region. But it does not even stop there .... need I remind everyone that the Chinese believe they also have a claim to the Arctic .... China Lays Claim To The Arctic (March 9, 2010)
4 comments:
The smart move is to let the Filipinos have Scarborough shoal. It is there anyway. "Make nice with them' (Yes that last bit is very poor English, but it gets the point across). Entangle the The Phillipines with trade making the Phillipines and China both rich.
Luzon makes a much better aircraft carrier than Benham rise ever could. Benham Rise is tactical nuke bait. Luzon not so much.
The U.S. made a yuge mistake in making The Phillipines a 'colony'. It is still paying for it today. It was not as bad as some other powers (see WW2 and who were our allies), but it still hurts relations. The U.S. could have got everything it wanted with trade & military treaties instead of what it did.
China has the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. It is not using it.
Letting China annexing the South China Sea remind me the same scenario in 1938 when Hitler take the "Sudetes" for the same kind of reason. The World was mute...before having the war. Sad, because this will not finish well: the Artic and why not the Pacific or anything else?
This is what happen when a new raising power challenge the dominant system . The concept called mare clausum and mare liberum (closed see and free sea) , the dutch empire in 1603 challenged Portuguese claim of mare clausum , then they set there own mare clausum which the british challenged the same way and established there own . The US then set there own policy of mare clausum in the monrror doctrine in the americas , today we live in mare clausum of the US established following ww2. China simply are following in the same path .
"The US then set there own policy of mare clausum in the monrror doctrine in the americas"
The above statement is totally untrue. Someone is way, way off base or engaged in something else.
https://prezi.com/3ay36w9gtqxd/effects-of-the-monroe-doctrine-in-latin-america/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_crisis_of_1902–03
Monroe Doctrine in action
"The Venezuelan crisis of 1902–03 was a naval blockade from December 1902 to February 1903 imposed against Venezuela by the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, over President Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts and damages suffered by European citizens in the Venezuelan civil war. "
Great Britain invaded Egypt over foreign debts. The Monroe Doctrine did not extend to Africa. If Britain would invade Egypt in 1882 over money, would it not have invaded Venezuela in 1902? Answer me that.
"A.G. Hopkins rejected Robinson and Gallagher's argument, citing original documents and second-hand sources to claim that there was no perceived danger to the Suez Canal from the ‘Urabi movement, and that ‘Urabi and his forces were not chaotic "anarchists", but rather maintained law and order.[2]:373–374 He alternatively argues that British Prime Minister William Gladstone's cabinet was motivated by protecting the interests of British bondholders with investments in Egypt as well as pursuit of domestic political popularity. Hopkins cites the British investments in Egypt that grew massively leading into the 1880s, partially as a result of the Khedive's debt from construction of the Suez Canal, as well as the close links that existed between the British government and the economic sector"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Egyptian_War
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