U.S. Fleet Moves Into South China Sea...Again

http://news.yahoo.com/china-calls-u-diplomat-over-south-china-sea-013307250--business.html

Oh wait, that was two months ago.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/china-moves-swiftly-on-ne_b_1700365.html

Ooops, that was more like three months ago.
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Oh, for @#$%'^ sake! That was three years ago!
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Ahhhhh, here we go!
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201210030050&Type=aTOD

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My question is: Why leave? They know they're gonna have to go back again and again and again, so why not park the ships? That's sarcasm, btw.
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Other reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Seventh_Fleet

 

I served in the Taiwanese Navy (mandatory draft service) as a radarman for a year or so on a frigate, I can tell you for a fact that US ship goes through those water pretty much on a monthly if not weekly basis. There is nothing to see here until shots are fired or something. This is basically a slow tug of war where Military option (involving the US) is very very unlikely, but the possibility of China slowly forcing recognition on some of it's claimed disputed area may not be.

This is hardly a black and white situation of course. the Japanese for example have an island dispute with China (and Taiwan making the same claim) that they had acquired during the First Sino-Japanese war, while you may argue that China is not well intentioned, it's hard to argue that they are any less well intentioned than Imperial Japan back in the days, not to mention that the same argument Japan makes against China (that they effectively control and administrate the islands) doesn't seem to hold much water in their island dispute against Korea (where the Koreans effectively are in control.)

OTOH, it is amusing to see that the West care now when in the 1980s China actually sank a few Vietnamese Navy ships and killed a few dozen sailors in the region in a real fight, but because at that time the USSR hadn't blown up yet and China was less pro Moscow than Vietnam the West pretended that didn't happen. In short, it's all Realpolitik,

 

It think the overriding issue is American imperialism. Why Americans of all stripes take it for granted that we are the world's policemen just because we can I will never know.

 

Ships get rusty if you dont move them LOL but I have to agree with a lot of what Yu-Hsing Chen said

 

Me too. America and China are the two big dogs, but there are dozens of other nations with vested interests there.

I'm being a bit flippant about it all really, but the region is getting more tense.

As for our presence, a lot of those countries want us there...if only to keep the Chinese from dominating the region entirely. A few more decades and China can easily pass us in warship capability...and will therefore have a stronger say in the matter eventually. North Korea is always an issue, and we pledged to protect Japan, so we too have vested interests there as well.

 

I think the Chinese should establish a presence in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba might be a good spot for a navel base. I'm sure there's room for one more. China should be further strengthening economic and military ties with the countries of Central and South America. Someone needs to step in to counter US influence in the region.

 

Great point.

Word.

 

Uh huh.

Tell me "Anna"....(or, do you prefer "Levi"?)....what is your interest in/connection to the Securities Exchange Commission, hmmmm?

Not planning anything malicious, are you?