CHINA SECURITY: In Disputed Waters, China Is The Thief Who Yells ‘Stop Thief’

An island that China is building on the Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea. The Chinese regime is accusing the United States of “hegemony” for challenging its land-grab in the South China Sea. (Cliff Owen/AP)

 

The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer on a “freedom of navigation” mission through the Paracel island chain in the South China Sea, and the Chinese regime claims it will toughen its response to similar missions in the future.

On Jan. 30, the USS Curtis Wilbur passed within 12 nautical miles of the less than one-square mile Triton Island, which is claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

What’s ironic is that the Chinese regime is calling the incident an act to establish U.S. hegemony, when in fact it was to counter Chinese hegemony already being claimed over the entire region.

China’s response plays perfectly into the ancient Chinese saying: “It’s the thief who yells ‘stop thief.’”

Australian military plane flies over disputed South China Sea

An Australian military surveillance plane has flown near disputed areas of the South China Sea, it emerged Wednesday, with the crew heard warning China’s navy it was on a freedom of navigation mission.

Tensions in the region have mounted since China transformed reefs in the South China Sea into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move the United States says threatens free passage in an area through which one-third of the world’s oil passes.

Why Won’t President Obama Let the Pentagon Stand Up to Russia and China?

Top Pentagon officials are deeply concerned about the increasingly provocative behavior of Russia and China. They say these Asian giants will soon instigate great power battles unless the United States takes bold action in standing up to them. But the Obama administration disagrees with this assessment, and prevents the Pentagon from taking such action.

At the Reagan National Defense Forum on November 7, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said: “We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all.”

Chinese Submarine Stalked U.S. Aircraft Carrier

More on the USS Kitty Hawk incident can be found here:

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced

 

 

Attack submarine sailed near USS Reagan south of Japan

A Chinese attack submarine stalked the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan near Japan last month in the closest encounter between a carrier and a People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine since 2006, according to American defense officials.

The Chinese submarine sailed very close to the Reagan during the weekend of Oct. 24, said defense officials familiar with reports of the incident.

The incident occurred as the Reagan sailed from its home port to the Sea of Japan around the southern end of Japan.

Chinese supersonic ship killer makes U.S. Navy’s job harder

The USS Lassen guided-missile destroyer sails in the Pacific Ocean in November 2009. In a challenge to China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy sent the Lassen within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in waters near the Spratly islands Tuesday. | REUTERS

 

 

HONG KONG – Increased interactions between the Chinese and U.S. Navy in the contested South China Sea risk becoming more complicated by the increasingly sophisticated missiles being carried by submarines.

A new report to the U.S. Congress assessing a Chinese submarine-launched missile known as the YJ-18 highlights the danger, noting the missile accelerates to supersonic speed just before hitting its target, making it harder for a crew to defend their ship.

US Navy’s Challenge in South China Sea? Sheer Number of Chinese Ships

Not only do they have coast guard ships, they are now able to mobilize commercial ships, bringing the total to 172,000 vessels during a national emergency.

 

Hong Kong:  When a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed near one of Beijing’s artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea this week, it was operating in a maritime domain bristling with Chinese ships.

While the U.S. Navy is expected to keep its technological edge in Asia for decades, China’s potential trump card is sheer weight of numbers, with dozens of naval and coastguard vessels routinely deployed in the South China Sea.

Key US Ally to Proceed with South China Sea War Games with Beijing

Australia on Thursday said it will go ahead with live-fire naval exercises with China, even after close ally the United States sent a warship into the disputed South China Sea this week.

Washington infuriated Beijing on Tuesday when it sent its USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in a challenge to China’s claims in the South China Sea.

The United States said the incident was a routine freedom-of-navigation operation, and vowed to send more ships.

US move may force Beijing to change S China Sea strategy: Duowei

On Oct. 20, President Barack Obama authorized the US Pacific Command to send warships into the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China. On Tuesday, the destroyer USS Lassen “conducted a transit” within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in the Spratly archipelago. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt was also sent to monitor the mission.

US officials noted that the US vessel would have been in an area considered Chinese sovereign territory if the US recognized the islands as belonging to China.

China strongly objected the US actions, with the Chinese foreign ministry, foreign minister Wang Yi, the Chinese embassy in Washington, and the country’s official Xinhua news agency all condemning the move.

U.S. Navy warship’s patrol in disputed South China Sea draws angry response from Beijing

WASHINGTON/BEIJING – The U.S. Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer close to China’s man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing, which said it warned and followed the American vessel.

The patrol by the USS Lassen — which is deployed to the U.S. Navy’s base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture — was the most significant U.S. challenge yet to 12-nautical-mile territorial limits China asserts around the islands in the Spratly archipelago and could ratchet up tensions in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.

One U.S. defense official said the USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef. A second defense official said the mission, which lasted a few hours, also included Mischief Reef and would be the first in a series of so-called freedom-of-navigation exercises aimed at testing China’s territorial claims.