Sunday, May 10, 2020

China Is Exploiting The Covid-19 Coronavirus Crisis To Assert Control Of The South China Sea

The guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, front, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) are pictured above in the South China Sea last month

Daily Mail: China flexes its military muscle: Beijing exploits Covid crisis to assert control of strategically vital South China Sea - and the US sends three warships in response

* China pushes illegal its claims to land and oilfields in a two-million-square-mile area in South China Sea
* Experts fear the South China Sea is where a war involving China, the United States and Russia could begin
* China’s defence minister has even said his country would ‘fight at all costs’ if a war occurred with America

China has taken advantage of the world’s struggle with Covid-19 to mount a disturbing display of military firepower and push its illegal claims to land and oilfields in a two-million-square-mile area in the South China Sea.

The moves have triggered an immediate response from US President Donald Trump.

Deeply worried about Beijing’s insatiable desire for land and the way its military has occupied areas by stealth, Washington has sent three warships to the region.

China’s escalation of war games in the region follows decades of aggression by the Communist government.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: China would never have asserted control in the South China Sea in the matter that it has if the countries in this region had banded together to stop this. While China's push to claim this region is a big story, the docile response from the countries that border the South China Sea is just as significant.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Obama's failed pivot to Asia WHILE cutting the budget deficit by A LOT (the so called sequester), was a huge mistake, as I've pointed out years ago. It sent a warning signal to China, and confused our allies. Why, if we take this region seriously, would we cut defense spending and focus on the middle east? That too, was Obama. Trillions lost. Opportunities squandered. Geo-strategically, Obama (and Bush/Cheney) were a nightmare.

Also, look at the two ships in the image..sure, they are decent ships, but they look old and show already wear and tear. Facing the China Navy with many more ships and much newer ones, looks really bad this way.

My advice: Form more alliances. Vietnam is an ideal partner, very open to the West and potentially pro-democratic in a few decades down the road. The young generation (especially in the South) want a good connection to the West -- and they all don't like China, not the least bit.