What They Don't Want You To Know About The South China Sea Dispute

Adelaide, Australia
July 15, 2016 8:10am CST
By now, we've all heard about the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the issue, right? And that's final, right? Settled? Sure? Down here, both sides of government are parroting lines formulated by the neo-cons in the USA who insist that no country will ever be permitted to rival the USA neither militarily nor economically. However, since the time that future Iraq War Criminals, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney & his under-secretary Paul Wolfowitz came up with this foreign policy doctrine in 1992 under the first Bush Administration, China has undergone one of the most massive transformations in history from enormous investment in nation-building infrastructure. On the other hand, the US of A has suffered a self-inflicted economic collapse under British - Influenced Free Trade combined with Wall Street's unchecked speculative looting of the physical economy. As of now, China's economy leaves the USA's for dead. The USA's response is military aggression, backed by the only thing it beats every other country at... military spending to the tune of $700 billion a year more than the next seven countries down the list of military spending combined. The Obama Administrations calls his aggression towards China "Asian Pivot". Combine this with the Bush-Cheney BMD encirclement of Russia & China, which Mr Obama continued (but denies it's containment), & you've got a recipe for disaster. Now comes the ruling initiated by the Previous Philippines President. Normally, the only cases adjudicated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (hereafter, the PCA) at The Hague is where BOTH parties refer to it. Clearly, China did not, but instead insisted any dispute can be worked out between the two countries. This last President also let the USA open military bases in the Philippines, which contributed substantially to him losing the recent election. Fortunately, the new socialist President is down-playing the ruling & has stated his desire to co-operate with China. Actually, referring this case to the PCA was a direct violation of the Declaration of Conduct signed by all members of ASEAN - including both these countries, which compels any disputes to be settled by individual negotiation! Therefore, China is correct to totally reject the PCA ruling. If the USA were in a similar situation, it would also reject such a ruling, especially as it has refused to ratify the UN Convention on The Law of the Sea. My own country has been in violation of the same. China's official response to the ruling is that she fully supports freedom of navigation in the South China Sea for TRADE, which is almost 100% to or from China - China being no threat whatsoever to its own trade! So what is the USS John C Stennis doing there with its "Carrier Strike Group"? China strongly objected to this lot tooling around in the Eastern South China Sea for five days. Just google this lot to see what they can do & you will see why! Now, this "Carrier Strike Group" consists of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier together with two Aegis guided-missile Destroyers, one guided-missile Cruiser & a "Fast Combat Support" Supply Ship. This group carry enough manpower, firepower & air support to blockade every shipping lane there, board or sink every vessel & invade, occupy or bomb any island there for hundreds of square miles! THIS is the threat to "freedom of navigation"! Especially as the main purpose for Aegis Destroyers is to penetrate onshore defenses, knock out a target's nuclear first-strike capability, then deliver a nuke strike of their own. They're billed as a "missile defense system", but are just about the most offensive weapons on earth! If the shoe were on the other foot, how'd the USA handle this much firepower on their doorstep? Japan, Australia & the Philippine electorate don't want the USA in the Pacific at all. Isn't it time to "go home Yankee"?
3 people like this
4 responses
@snowy22315 (168368)
• United States
15 Jul 16
You can not trust China. I think they are impinging on the rights of Phillipinos.
4 people like this
• Adelaide, Australia
15 Jul 16
It's interesting to note that whilst those places China is developing now were in the hands of the Philippines, they did nothing to develop them. Japan, Taiwan & Vietnam are all developing rocky outcrops & have been doing it just as long as China, so why does it make headlines when China does it? Because they do it faster! Many Western countries, especially Oz, have in recent years established "no fishing zones"; vast tracts of their territorial waters comprise such zones now, at the request of the USA. So why do people get upset when China doesn't want fishing boats along trade routes?
3 people like this
@Sun7788 (260)
• Changzhou, China
16 Jul 16
As a Chinese, you may refuse to believe my views,I have no offense to US,the world's leading country in almost all aspects. But i hope your government can lay emphasis on its own affairs, China has ability to promote the prosperity and maintain peace in the Asia-Pacific region. According to US study on international treates and conventions, only six percent of them settle territorial disputes, because all states act in their self-interests which maybe one reason why the US dosen't always rush to ratify international treaties. Territorial disputes are usually resolved by bilateral negotiations.For example, China and Russia settled their border dispute in early 2000s after decades of negotiation. US should cherish its own excellent geographical conditions without border disputes. I wonder if your lands are closer to ISIS, will US become the most possible target attacked instead of France. Sorry I don't mean to offend. Fighting against terrorists and maintaining peace is our common goal. I just hope US government won't be so enthusiastic about internationalizing everything, never muddle things up! I appreciate the sense of safety granted by my motherland, the young will be strong if China is strong, and the vice versa.
2 people like this
• Adelaide, Australia
17 Jul 16
@Sun7788 on paper, it looks like the USA leads in many things, but the figures have been fudged, just like their jobless figures, debt & all else in between. Ours is just as bad, if not worse. China are already world leaders, but most Chinese don't know it, don't care or are too humble to admit it. The US shouldn't try to enforce the Freedom of Navigation Act when it never signed it in the first place. There are whole books recently published on how we can stop war with China; just break military "alliance" with the USA. Very simple. ISIS have openly & recently declared on social media that their next target is Australia. Let's not be under any illusion, the USA & UK make a big show of "fighting ISIS", yet they are the ones who fund & arm ISIS in the first place! Remember the Ukraine Crisis? Those NAZI thugs who destroyed the Ukraine's democratically elected, legitimate government were armed on the grounds of the Ukraine's US Embassy. The USA loves invading other countries without permission to fight whatever war they want to fight, but only since after the end of WW2. Russia, working together with the legitimate Syrian Government, did more damage to ISIS in a week than the USA did in the entire campaign & then promptly withdrew, breaking the US agenda of "constant war". That said, I have nothing against the vast majority of the US people. They have their issues, but are much like you & me. I pity them, but they will soon gain "hero status" before the world in they way they go about cleansing their own country of all the filth there.
2 people like this
• India
15 Jul 16
There will be something in it. We cannot trust any one. that's the main reason.
2 people like this
• Adelaide, Australia
15 Jul 16
"something in it"... meaning ...? And lack of trust as well as fear, perhaps from media with a paid agenda to promote war instead of peace? You know who owns & controls mainstream media, right?
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• Philippines
18 Jul 16
true!
3 people like this
• Philippines
18 Jul 16
That's something new!
2 people like this
• Adelaide, Australia
18 Jul 16
It's not easy to dig this stuff up, but it's certainly something that people need to hear more of.
• Dallas, Texas
18 Jul 16
I read your post and find it refreshing.
1 person likes this
• Adelaide, Australia
18 Jul 16
It seems there's two sides to every story these days. In most cases, only one side gets broadcast & accepted. I'm very interested in the things our independent media have to say about what gets publicity & why.
1 person likes this
• Adelaide, Australia
19 Jul 16
@lookatdesktop perhaps if more people received sufficient information from both sides, they could discern the truth for themselves?
• Dallas, Texas
18 Jul 16
@veganbliss Exactly. There are always 2 sides to any story. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
1 person likes this