Blackstone
Brigadier
There's no question international laws and norms allow any and all countries to spy outside 12 miles territorial waters, and as long as it's in US interests to do so, it should continue unabated. Least we forget, China has the same right to spy off US coasts anytime it wants- as its spy ship did during RimPac 2016."Survey"... that is actually THE diplomatic term for spying. Let's call it what it is.
And what's wrong with spying? It is a normal activity for any country. The official term is intelligence gathering. And country being "surveyed" has counterintelligence to counter it.
It's a game played by professionals. Sometimes, some of the things done by these professionals may look "unprofessional" by us amateurs. But it's still part of the game.
Why do I insist that the crazy flying by the Chinese pilots is part of the game? Have you ever seen the Chinese pilots fly like that anywhere else. Many of the PLAAF's bases are in or near big cities. Has anyone on the internet mentioned any crazy fly-by's by Chinese fighter pilots? Has any of the Chinese netizens complained about Chinese fighter pilots "buzzing the tower" in their cities and towns? They are doing these things under orders.
And why does the PLA issue orders like that? Some PLA commanding officers are becoming crazy? Hardly. They are doing it for a reason. That's why I think it's part of a game.
We have members questioning the individuality of Chinese soldiers and their ability to finish missions independently. Then all of a sudden, we start believing stories about Chinese pilots losing control and acting unprofessionally. So which one is it?
The flip side of the issue is just because US has the right to spy off China's shores, does it make sense to do more than it needs for intelligence collection purposes. My view is US high command should determine what it wants to do, and how much resource it needs to get it done, with some buffers. Anything beyond that doesn't serve long-term US interests, because the benefits might not be worth the costs.