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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
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday April 12 2020, @11:44PM (2 children)
Eric has some good points [ibiblio.org]
Seems to me we just need to grow a spine and not let them build islands in the ocean willy nilly. Which, I hate to admit, Trump seems perfectly willing to do (not let them build islands willy nilly in the sea, that is). That said, what the rest of the world can do with all those artificial islands is problematic. Assuming the Chinese populate them with Chinese it's not like we can just use a sea-going bulldozer to bulldoze those artificial island back into the sea.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Monday April 13 2020, @12:11AM (1 child)
Yeah, Eric has some good points, but his shallow biases also show:
is completely stupid, and ignores the fact that the US media, of all kinds has been right behind every war the US has ever fought. None of the US media is socialist, despite what Fox News says.
He is correct with his conclusion though. China is not going to war. Particularly with the US, because they would lose big time.
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Monday April 13 2020, @10:33AM
Entire world will lose since nuclear wars are no fun. It works both ways too, since US isn't too incentivized to stop them from finishing their incomplete civil war by eliminating last stronghold of dictator Chiang Kai Shek's forces on Taiwan.