BuddhaPalm
BANNED
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2014
- Messages
- 912
- Reaction score
- -16
- Country
- Location
The looming military showdown in the South China Sea: Gertz | Asia Times
Instead of a carrier group, the administration is likely to send one of its new, lightly-armed Littoral Combat Ships on what the military calls FON, for freedom of navigation, operation, in the next two weeks.
The lack of large and muscular American warship presence for the much-anticipated exercise is likely to send the wrong signal to China, and to regional states are looking to the United States for support against China’s expansive and legally-questionable maritime claims.
Recent US military activities in the South China Sea have been limited to intelligence gathering, with flights by P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and high-altitude Global Hawk drones. China, in at least one instance, used electronic warfare in an attempt to disrupt the electronics of Global Hawk flights, according to US defense officials. PLA air controllers in the region have tried unsuccessfully to order P-8s out of the region.
After reports surfaced last week that US allies in Asia were notified of the US decision to conduct naval maneuvers in the South China Sea, Beijing’s propaganda machine shifted into high gear.
State-run Xinhua, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, said in a dispatch Oct. 17 that “provocative” US attempts to infringe on China’s maritime sovereignty are “sabotaging” regional peace and “militarizing” the sea.
Beijing even compared the upcoming navigation naval operations to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the United States demanded the removal of Soviet missiles placed 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
“What on earth makes the United States think China should and will tolerate it when US surface ships trespass on Chinese territory in the South China Sea?” the news agency blustered in a commentary.
Chinese officials outlined Beijing’s position on the upcoming US naval operation in other state-run media. Spokesmen say a military confrontation is unlikely – unless U.S. warships sail within the 12-mile zone and remain there. China’s position seems to be that it will not object to internationally recognized close ship passage. But if the ships stay within the 12-mile zone of the newly constructed islands then naval PLA warships will be dispatched to force them out.
“China will never tolerate any military provocation or infringement on sovereignty from the United States or any other country, just as the United States refused to 53 years ago,” Xinhua said.
“Tensions between China and the other claimant states, namely the Philippines and Vietnam, have the potential to spark an armed clash, which would threaten regional stability and the global economy and could involve the United States,” the commission’s annual report will state, according to a late draft of the report.
Additionally, China’s military buildup on the islands “could enhance China’s anti-access/area denial capabilities, potentially challenging the US military’s ability to freely operate in the region,” the report said, noting that South China Sea control could be aimed at disrupting US Navy efforts to defend Taiwan in a future conflict with the mainland.
The report provides new details on China’s military buildup on the Spratlys, including an airstrip on Mischief Reef and deep-water channel for warships; similar military construction and an airstrip on Subi Reef; and a runway on Fiery Cross Reef along with new piers and support facilities.
On Cuateron Reef, a second PLA helipad and sensor array was built, and on Gaven Reef, a second military facility with communications gear was set up. Johnson Reef is getting a second Chinese military facility, fuel dump and desalination pumps, and on Hughes Reef, a new harbor and military facility are part of the buildup.
China’s military activities in the South China Sea are described in the report as a “gradual, salami-slicing approach” to consolidating maritime claims through incremental actions that would not be a casus belli. The approach shifted in late 2013 with a renew urgency in land reclamation.
The coming showdown will be a test of resolve for US interests in Southeast Asia, a region that is wary of growing Chinese hegemony.
Absent a more muscular military demonstration, however, the showdown likely will end in China’s favor and seriously further undermine regional stability.
Instead of a carrier group, the administration is likely to send one of its new, lightly-armed Littoral Combat Ships on what the military calls FON, for freedom of navigation, operation, in the next two weeks.
The lack of large and muscular American warship presence for the much-anticipated exercise is likely to send the wrong signal to China, and to regional states are looking to the United States for support against China’s expansive and legally-questionable maritime claims.
Recent US military activities in the South China Sea have been limited to intelligence gathering, with flights by P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and high-altitude Global Hawk drones. China, in at least one instance, used electronic warfare in an attempt to disrupt the electronics of Global Hawk flights, according to US defense officials. PLA air controllers in the region have tried unsuccessfully to order P-8s out of the region.
After reports surfaced last week that US allies in Asia were notified of the US decision to conduct naval maneuvers in the South China Sea, Beijing’s propaganda machine shifted into high gear.
State-run Xinhua, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China, said in a dispatch Oct. 17 that “provocative” US attempts to infringe on China’s maritime sovereignty are “sabotaging” regional peace and “militarizing” the sea.
Beijing even compared the upcoming navigation naval operations to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the United States demanded the removal of Soviet missiles placed 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
“What on earth makes the United States think China should and will tolerate it when US surface ships trespass on Chinese territory in the South China Sea?” the news agency blustered in a commentary.
Chinese officials outlined Beijing’s position on the upcoming US naval operation in other state-run media. Spokesmen say a military confrontation is unlikely – unless U.S. warships sail within the 12-mile zone and remain there. China’s position seems to be that it will not object to internationally recognized close ship passage. But if the ships stay within the 12-mile zone of the newly constructed islands then naval PLA warships will be dispatched to force them out.
“China will never tolerate any military provocation or infringement on sovereignty from the United States or any other country, just as the United States refused to 53 years ago,” Xinhua said.
“Tensions between China and the other claimant states, namely the Philippines and Vietnam, have the potential to spark an armed clash, which would threaten regional stability and the global economy and could involve the United States,” the commission’s annual report will state, according to a late draft of the report.
Additionally, China’s military buildup on the islands “could enhance China’s anti-access/area denial capabilities, potentially challenging the US military’s ability to freely operate in the region,” the report said, noting that South China Sea control could be aimed at disrupting US Navy efforts to defend Taiwan in a future conflict with the mainland.
The report provides new details on China’s military buildup on the Spratlys, including an airstrip on Mischief Reef and deep-water channel for warships; similar military construction and an airstrip on Subi Reef; and a runway on Fiery Cross Reef along with new piers and support facilities.
On Cuateron Reef, a second PLA helipad and sensor array was built, and on Gaven Reef, a second military facility with communications gear was set up. Johnson Reef is getting a second Chinese military facility, fuel dump and desalination pumps, and on Hughes Reef, a new harbor and military facility are part of the buildup.
China’s military activities in the South China Sea are described in the report as a “gradual, salami-slicing approach” to consolidating maritime claims through incremental actions that would not be a casus belli. The approach shifted in late 2013 with a renew urgency in land reclamation.
The coming showdown will be a test of resolve for US interests in Southeast Asia, a region that is wary of growing Chinese hegemony.
Absent a more muscular military demonstration, however, the showdown likely will end in China’s favor and seriously further undermine regional stability.
"
