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posted by martyb on Sunday April 12 2020, @09:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the Cover-of-darkness dept.

China's devious move under cover of virus

As outbreaks debilitate the US navy, there are fears China may be using the coronavirus pandemic as cover for asserting control over the South China Sea.

A Vietnamese fishing boat has been rammed and sunk. Military aircraft have landed at its artificial-island fortresses. And large-scale naval exercises has let everyone know China's navy is still pushing the boundaries, hard.

Meanwhile, the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group has retreated from the contested waterway in an unscheduled return to Guam – with hundreds of cases of COVID-19 on board.

China's Peoples Liberation Army knows this presents an opportunity.

"The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly lowered the US Navy's warship deployment capability in the Asia-Pacific region," an article on its official website declares.

The website insists not a single one of its soldiers, sailors or pilots had contracted COVID-19. Instead, the crisis had served to strengthen the combat readiness and resolve of the Chinese military.

That has international affairs analysts worried that even a short-term withdrawal of US and international from the East and South China Seas could give Beijing the opportunity it has been waiting for.

"I think China is exploiting the US Navy's coronavirus challenges to improve its position in the South China Sea by giving the appearance it can and will operate there at will while the US is hamstrung," former Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Centre director Carl Schuster told CNN.

Previously:
(2020-01-09) China Initiates Conflict with Indonesia in the South China Sea
(2019-12-21) Malaysian Top Envoy: China's 'Nine-Dash Line' Claim 'Ridiculous'
(2019-11-22) US Warships Sail in Disputed South China Sea Amid Tensions
(2019-05-14) China Builds New Type 002 Mega Carrier as the Age of Sea Power Wanes
(2018-05-13) China Begins Sea Trials for its First Domestically Developed Aircraft Carrier
(2017-12-24) World's Largest Amphibious Plane in Production Takes Flight in China
(2017-05-25) US Warship Challenges China's Claims in South China Sea
(2017-04-26) China Launches Aircraft Carrier
(2017-03-14) Japan to Send its Biggest Warship to the South China Sea
(2017-01-13) Chinese State Media Boasts About its New Electronic Reconnaissance Ship
(2016-07-14) China's South China Sea Claims Rejected By "Binding" but Unenforceable Tribunal Ruling


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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @09:41PM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @09:41PM (#981708)

    Are you suggesting that telling the commanders out in the fleet to not do or say anything about COVID-19 because it would embarrass the POTUS was actually a bad idea?

    Hmm. Go figure.

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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 13 2020, @04:42AM (6 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 13 2020, @04:42AM (#981827) Journal

    I said no such thing. I suggested that the fleet should have been quarantined to protect the crews from any infection. That quarantine was very easily accomplished, back in January. It's far, far too late in March. So, I'm saying that the medical corps were idiots if they didn't suggest a quarantine to the Chief of Naval Operations, and if they did, then the CNO is an idiot for not taking the advice.

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @05:58AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @05:58AM (#981851)

      Bbbut China virus! China's fault.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @01:09PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @01:09PM (#981932)

      If only the Commander in Chief were competent, we could have avoided this.

      But that would require taking action based on, "a democratic party hoax!"

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 13 2020, @01:18PM (2 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 13 2020, @01:18PM (#981939) Journal

        Blame the American voter for that. The last competent CinC was either Eisenhower, or Kennedy. Of those two, Ike was the more competent.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @03:13PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @03:13PM (#982025)

          You are just incapable of criticizing Trump. You do realize every sane person around here knows that "TDS" actually refers to people like you?

          • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 13 2020, @04:20PM

            by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 13 2020, @04:20PM (#982047) Journal

            Well, you're entitled to your asinine opinion. I'm also aware that the mayors of major cities were busily telling their constituents to go out, mingle, have fun, ride the subway, don't pay any mind to this Corona Virus as late as March. So - - - the president of the US was roughly equally culpable as the Dems? Are you as ready to castigate the mayor of NYC, as you are willing to denigrate Trump?

            You'll notice, I'm not singing Trump's praises here. I'm making cold comparisons between one office holder, and another. They all suck ass. But, again, selling off stockpiled supplies didn't start with either Trump, or any of those current mayors. It started about fifteen years ago. Which asshole was president then?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @12:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @12:54PM (#981928)

    Definitely don't say anything. Quarantine up. We're not going to win anymore wars because of people like you. Everyone knows the carrier is down.

    The chinese definitely have infections in their military, they're just clammed up about it. Plus they have enough personell to ignore the attrition.