"According To the Pentagon Chinese Warships Are ..." Topic

….Challenging U.S. War Ships And Spy Planes With 'Risky' Run-Ins

"The Pentagon said the US military has had "unsafe" encounters with the Chinese armed forces in the South China Sea during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also a source of deepening tension between the two countries.

There have been "at least nine" concerning incidents involving Chinese fighter jets and US aircraft in the skies above the contested waterway since mid-March, Reed Werner, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Southeast Asia, told Fox News on Tuesday, adding that China continues to engage in "risky and escalatory behavior."…"
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Didn't this reminds you the Cold War?… when U.S./NATO vessels and planes challenge Soviet/Warsaw vessels and planes, and vice versa?… and while the media focus is on the U.S. and China, the real focus should be on China and how it is challenging all of its neighbours. Beijing is now basically confronting everyone, and if they are not openly using their military to assert their claims or intimidate their neighbours, they use the economic lever to punish those who they feel have not obedient…. for example… Australia is currently learning that lesson with tariffs on its agricultural products…even North Korea and Russia are now experiencing border tensions with China…

Amicalement
Armand

It's already turning into the second Cold War. The only question is when will everyone outside of China realize it?

There does seem to be evidence of increasing recklessness from Chinese military forces.

Smaller players in the region are used to this but the US has been largely absent from the region and when making forays they are mostly just subjected to verbal abuse.

With the recent escalation of presence has come increased harassment.

I fear lives may be lost if this continues. Vietnamese fishing boats are regularly sunk and attacked and people have died. Same goes I think for Filipinos and others.

My opinion is the CCP are close to catastrophe and could try something desperate to distract from their problems at home.

The more they hector and bluster the US and other nations the more they have to save face by not backing down.

Containing China is like a game of chess.

China has stockpiles of grain that can cover domestic demand for variously 5 to 10 years, so it is easy for the Government to use grain imports as a weapon – this was in fact pointed out in the 1990's.

Typical.

A repeat of the collision with our recon bird under Bush is inevitable. Not sure which will be first, an aircraft or a vessel, but it will happen, again.

Watching too much Wolf Warriors!

Problem with this is that during the Cold War both sides knew it was a 'game' with 'rules' and what the potential consequences were. I am not personally convinced that China's military see this situation in the same way – at worst as some quasi-religious nationalist mission to realise China's historic destiny and believe 'right' is on their side. And as far I know have no where near the level of experience that Russia has in playing these rather dangerous games of chicken.

It has potential tragic accident written all over it – not that the Party probably give a rat's about causalities as long as the circumstances are ambiguous enough for them to spin an advantageous story from.

Agree.

Amicalement
Armand

I'm dubious. The CCP has been doing pretty well since 2001…

They have secured bases and influence in a number of countries around the world. They have advanced their spurious claims in the SCS ans ECS thru their artificial islands and activities of their maritime militia and coastguard.

They have modernised and expanded their military especially air and naval – army is getting a haircut but will be better equipped apparently.

They have tightened their grip on their own people thru mass surveillance and 'social credit' – all with scarcely a murmur from the 'West'. Oppression of the Uighur minority does not get enough attention either.

Something to consider. In a one party state people rise to power thru ability [and ruthlessness]. In Western democracies we have been electing people based on a reality TV/popularity contest.

The CCP may not be at Russian Grandmaster level – but we'd be foolish to think they are not capable opponents.

I wasn't referring to CCP not knowing how to play the geopolitical game – rather the ability of Chinese officers and soldiers on the ground not to mis-calculate and either end up with a messy collision or an even messier exchange of fire!

The CCP are immune to anything more than a loud diplomatic tut from the rest of world unless they glass Taiwan in a fit of pique. Nuclear weapons and massive economic clout ensure that. The CCP re-branding of communism to the 'Chinese dream' may well be a master stroke in realising that people will put up with all sorts of authoritarian booting in face as long as their standard of living is going up. Now if they deliberately orchestrated that knowing they were going to pretty much strip the 'West' of its consumer manufacturing base while simultaneously using its massive number of potential customers like geopolitical fly paper with free market trading nations then we probably should start downloading those social credit scoring apps ourselves…

Thanks for the clarification. I can see where I misread your meaning.

I agree there is a risk of someone making a mistake. While this could happen on the US side it is far more likely on the Chinese side. There are other players in the region who could lose their cool under stress.

It is a worry. There have already been deaths.