Brexit, for once some facts.

Fingers

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 9, 2016
3,373
1,552
46
I wasn't incorrect at all, those seas have for centuries been known as the China Sea and South China Sea. What the Chinese are doing is protecting their own interests against US bullying and attempts to dominate an area that isn't theirs.

In the South China Sea the man made islands each effectively have the ability to operate like an aircraft carrier. So why is it ok for the USA to operate from its aircraft carriers in seas which are clearly not theirs, but not ok for China to do so in its own seas?

And I dismiss as US inspired nonsense the UN ruling that the man made islands are illegal. Hong Kong's airport is a man made island. Japan has built the man made island of Odaiba. A huge area of The Netherlands is effectively a man made area taken from the North Sea. Dubai has built a string of conjoined man made islands extending from its land mass, and there are many other examples worldwide.

Where are the UN rulings that all those are illegal?

Here is a US government comment on the islands:

“In a crisis, these facilities would significantly complicate US war plans and access to the South China Sea at acceptable levels of cost and risk. "

Precisely, US war plans as usual. No way will I accept this policy of these war mongering bast ards.
.

Unlike your other examples these islands have been built in international territories.

You are wrong but it's cool. I won't go on about it.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,379
16,876
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Kim Darroch has resigned and of course it is the fault of BJ?
yes is the short answer.
it's Hunt's department, so he should have a hand in it too.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon and flecc

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,203
30,604
There are two main sets of “islands” in the South China Sea. (Only a very few are real islands, the vast majority are just reefs, sandbars or rocks). In its northern reaches, the Paracel Islands are disputed between China and Vietnam. In the south the much more extensive Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. Most of these desolate places have British names, often donated by the ships and crews that mapped them. Richard Spratly was a whaling captain who spotted his island in 1843, HMS Iroquois gave its name to Iroquois Reef during survey work in the 1920s, and so on.

When a Chinese government committee first gave Chinese names to the islands in 1935 all it did was either translate or transliterate the existing British names. In the Paracels, for example, Antelope Reef became Líng yang (the Chinese word for antelope) and in the Spratlys, North Danger Reef became B?i xi?n (Chinese for “north danger”), Spratly Island became Si-ba-la-tuo (the Chinese transliteration of the English name). The Chinese committee simply copied the British maps, errors and all. The names were then revised, twice. Scarborough Shoal, named after a British ship in 1748, was originally transliterated as Si ge ba luo in 1935, renamed Min’zhu Jiao—Democracy Reef by the nationalist Republic of China in 1947 and then given the less politically-sensitive name of Huangyan (Yellow Rock) by the communist People’s Republic of China in 1983.

Today, the Chinese authorities seem completely unaware of this. The standard official defence of China’s “indisputable” sovereignty over the South China Sea begins with the phrase, “the Chinese people were the first to discover and name the Nansha Islands.” In reality, the “Chinese people” just copied the names from the British. Even the word “Nansha” (it means “southern sand”) has moved around on Chinese maps. In 1935 the name was used to describe the area of shallow sea known in English as the “Macclesfield Bank” (yes, after another British ship). In 1947 the name Nansha was moved southwards on Chinese maps to refer to the Spratly Islands.

A full examination of each justification put forward by the Chinese side would run to many pages but suffice to say that there is no archaeological evidence yet found that any Chinese ship travelled across the sea before the 10th century. Up until that point all the trading and exploration was carried out by Malay, Indian and Arab vessels. They may, from time to time, have carried Chinese passengers. The much-discussed voyages of the Chinese “eunuch admirals” including Zheng He, lasted a total of about 30 years, until the 1430s. After that, although traders and fisherfolk plied the seas, the Chinese state never visited deep water again until the nationalist government was given ships by the US and UK at the end of the Second World War.


Perfectly true, but how, as by far the largest nation in the region, is the Chinese wish to control the seas in their area in any way wrong, given the US insistence on controlling virtually the all of the seas worldwide with its military dominance?

Either both are wrong or both are right, to use that quaint old saying, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

The Chinese "aircraft carrier" islands are only a military stop gap anyway, since they are way behind on carriers, having only one fully operational. They're busy making that good and it's reckoned they will have six operational by 2030 and more to follow. Their flexibility will render the vulnerable man made islands less useful.
.
 
Last edited:
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,203
30,604
Yes and no. For some it gives them the only solace available. And if it brings them some peace - who are we to say no?
Indeed, if it floats their boat it's fine by me, so long as they don't then consider themselves agents to carry out "Gods" will to make their prayers come true.

But for me all religion without any exception is fundamentally evil.
.
 

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
Their flexibility will render the vulnerable man made islands less useful.
Disagree - China has been manufacturing & deploying various long range missile systems - all it needs to do is deploy them on the hard to sink islands. Hence the recent ramp up in escalation of developing hypersonic missile systems otherwise it will be very hard to approach the islands by sea or air...
 
  • Like
Reactions: robdon

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,203
30,604
Disagree - China has been manufacturing & deploying various long range missile systems - all it needs to do is deploy them on the hard to sink islands. Hence the recent ramp up in escalation of developing hypersonic missile systems otherwise it will be very hard to approach the islands by sea or air...
But the forthcoming aircaft carriers with cruise missiles have the same capability to take war to distant parts, as the USA demonstrates.

We are never going to stop dominant nations militarily controlling their immediately surrounding areas, and I ask again, what right does the USA have to do it in others areas?

If they can, backed by the UN, so can others. That's an absolute.
.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
yes is the short answer.
it's Hunt's department, so he should have a hand in it too.
The source of the leak if discovered will be interesting...

His card was marked a long time ago by Trump

"Sir Kim Darroch, the British Ambassador to the US, has “raised concerns” with the White House following Donald Trump’s decision to share a British far-right organisation’s Islamophobic videos. ... "'British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which seek to divide communities and erode decency, tolerance and respect,' Sir Kim Darroch said" November 2017

Wondered why Javid wasn't invited to participate Trump's state visit

"Communities Secretary Sajid Javid made the strongest attack on Mr Trump so far, posting on his account that Mr Trump had “endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filed racist organisation that hates me and people like me”. "
 
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon

Fingers

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 9, 2016
3,373
1,552
46
But the forthcoming aircaft carriers with cruise missiles have the same capability to take war to distant parts, as the USA demonstrates.

We are never going to stop dominant nations militarily controlling their immediately surrounding areas, and I ask again, what right does the USA have to do it in others areas?

If they can, backed by the UN, so can others. That's an absolute.
.
Yes but they move around. They are not illegal installations against international law. You were wrong.

But it's cool.
 

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
But the forthcoming aircaft carriers with cruise missiles have the same capability to take war to distant parts, as the USA demonstrates.

We are never going to stop dominant nations militarily controlling their immediately surrounding areas, and I ask again, what right does the USA have to do it in others areas?

If they can, backed by the UN, so can others. That's an absolute.
.
Well when China claims impinge on international waters and martime trade routes - esp when they don't own it! and it impacts other east Asian counties in and around the region - and they make unilateral territorial claims for oil and gas exploration .


The Significance of South China Sea Trade

For many of the world’s largest economies, the South China Sea is an essential maritime crossroads for trade. Over 64 percent of China’s maritime trade transited the waterway in 2016, while nearly 42 of Japan’s maritime trade passed through the South China Sea in the same year. The United States is less reliant on South China Sea, with just over 14 percent of its maritime trade passing through the region.
 
  • Agree
  • Like
Reactions: robdon and Fingers

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,461
32,613
80
Indeed, if it floats their boat it's fine by me, so long as they don't then consider themselves agents to carry out "Gods" will to make their prayers come true.

But for me all religion without any exception is fundamentally evil.
.
Even Holy Brexit?
 
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
But the forthcoming aircaft carriers with cruise missiles have the same capability to take war to distant parts, as the USA demonstrates.

We are never going to stop dominant nations militarily controlling their immediately surrounding areas, and I ask again, what right does the USA have to do it in others areas?

If they can, backed by the UN, so can others. That's an absolute.
.
But China isn't backed by UN / United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) with its islands and territorial claims.

Carriers move around in International waters or friendly countries territorial waters. Maybe East Asian nations should cooperate in resurrecting Project Habakkuk and parking that in the mix... :)
 
  • Agree
Reactions: robdon

Advertisers