US Navy & PLAN - South China Sea Situation News (Closed)
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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Brumby
Major
Your statement reminds us of the kind of thinking a few years ago when a Chinese official said the following to the other nations "China is a big country”, “and other countries are small countries and that is just a fact.” It assumes that China can act with impunity and that there are no consequences. I am under no illusion, China will militarize the islands - eventually (the infrastructures are built) and is simply at a timing of its choosing regardless of the actions of others.
Should China continue to behave belligerently, there will be a tipping point, a recognition and eventual consensus that China will not rise peacefully but will take what it wants outside of established law and order. Its own actions will testify to that image should it continue to pursue such path. No degree of smoke screen or ambiguity can hide such actions.
Well It's already reached a consensus in US led circle of Japan, Australia, Philippines,and some Asia pacific countries.
But I doubt EU, and any other countries outside of that region would care.
BtW, PLAN has moved Sovs into SCS fleet as one of the vessel tracking the Lassen is a Sov.
So Uncle Sam is enforcing a law himself did not rectified. Oh the irony
Brumby
Major
That is a misguided notion of FON. FON is a basic principle of the freedom of the law of the seas that had been in place for hundreds of years. UNCLOS basically just codified it with specific provisions where there was consensus among the nations. The USN is simply exercising such rights as provided under customary law of the seas and UNCLOS. In contrast, China is the one trying to enforce some nebulous law that only itself knows what it is.
SamuraiBlue
Captain
Don't know about this. If PRC forces it's way the Russians may claim a similar claim in the Arctics which will become a serious issue for EU, Canada and the US..
Equation
Lieutenant General
Or the nebulous notion that China's artificial island building is threatening FON. Remember that came from the US side first.
Equation
Lieutenant General
Kind of like the US Navy is big and therefore has the right to act belligerently out of some lame FON excuse?
Just look at UK and China recently.
If China forces its way?? Well, if already did. Those man-made islands. I have not heard any opposition to China hand made islands outside of US and its Pacific Rim friends.
Don't make the assumption that what Russia did versus what China did will have the same effect to EU. It doesn't add up like that. EU is far more concerned about China-EU commerce than SCS issue.
Brumby
Major
Whether the artificial islands are a threat to FON is actually up to Chinese actions. Up to the point until the recent FON, there is sufficient messaging from China that it regards the SCS as its territory. The USN is simply making a passage through the high seas as provided for under UNCLOS and customary law of the seas. The recent reaction from the Chinese just validates the point and is no longer a nebulous notion as you put it.
I think your statement is somewhat oxymoron in nature. Either FON is legal or it is not. Please explain what is a belligerent FON.
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