China mad, bro

After yesterday's ruling by an international tribunal that China's claims to reefs and islands in the South China Seas are bogus, China says a new air defense zone is possible and that it has claims regardless of the ruling.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36780285

I did not want to start a new thread about China. Obviously China is another area of concern right now. A big question for policy-makers - it has been a big question for a while but is really heating up - is if conflict between the U.S. and China is inevitable. China is really flexing its muscles, and history and theory can inform us that as Chinese capabilities grow so do the chances the U.S. acts to restore balance. Then again, history and theory also tell us there are all sorts of mitigating factors and conflict is far from inevitable.

China's first operational aircraft carrier Liaoning arrives in Hong Kong

China watchers say its very presence is an unprecedented show of military force in rebellious Hong Kong. That it will be open to the public is an additional demonstration of China's soft power.
The 300m (990ft) aircraft carrier is a refurbished Soviet ship of the Kuznetsov class purchased from Ukraine and was built in the late 1980s.

It is part of a larger effort by Beijing to boost its military presence on the global stage.
In April, the country launched another aircraft carrier - its first to be made domestically. It is expected to be operational by 2020.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40527918

Turtleneck wrote:I did not want to start a new thread about China. Obviously China is another area of concern right now. A big question for policy-makers - it has been a big question for a while but is really heating up - is if conflict between the U.S. and China is inevitable. China is really flexing its muscles, and history and theory can inform us that as Chinese capabilities grow so do the chances the U.S. acts to restore balance. Then again, history and theory also tell us there are all sorts of mitigating factors and conflict is far from inevitable.

China's first operational aircraft carrier Liaoning arrives in Hong Kong

China watchers say its very presence is an unprecedented show of military force in rebellious Hong Kong. That it will be open to the public is an additional demonstration of China's soft power.
The 300m (990ft) aircraft carrier is a refurbished Soviet ship of the Kuznetsov class purchased from Ukraine and was built in the late 1980s.

It is part of a larger effort by Beijing to boost its military presence on the global stage.
In April, the country launched another aircraft carrier - its first to be made domestically. It is expected to be operational by 2020.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40527918

Think about China North Korea the Middle East and Putin. Now think about the jackass we have. I'm not trying to be funny. This shit is scary.

My opinion here turtleneck is that china sees an opening where the us is almost trying to cede its position as world leader, and it's going to try to step into that role while the opportunity exists. With our leadership almost willingly giving it up, china would seem to be best served to step up that role as world protector. I don't think they have any intention of getting into a conflict with us, but I think they would be smart to step up their military might not to actually use it but to say "hey, everyone else, while those guys are obsessed with 47 people in their whole country voting illegally, follow us. We will protect you." And, for the next few years, we seem more poised to let them do it than we are to actually get in a fight with them.

China's Submarine Dream (And Nightmare for the U.S. Navy): 'Hunt for Red October' Subs
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/chinas-submarine-dream-nightmare-the-us-navy-hunt-red-21452

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:My opinion here turtleneck is that china sees an opening where the us is almost trying to cede its position as world leader

I agree with you Travis of the Cosmos. The U.S. under Trump has a different idea of what leadership in world politics means.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:With our leadership almost willingly giving it up, china would seem to be best served to step up that role as world protector.

In the past, China showed little interest in taking on a larger role in international politics. It did not want the responsibility associated with having a leadership position. That has changed under Xi.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:I don't think they have any intention of getting into a conflict with us, but I think they would be smart to step up their military might not to actually use it but to say "hey, everyone else, while those guys are obsessed with 47 people in their whole country voting illegally, follow us. We will protect you." And, for the next few years, we seem more poised to let them do it than we are to actually get in a fight with them.

Unfortunately this is where we differ. While the U.S. might give up its clear role as world leader by engaging in world politics less, that does not mean it will tolerate China to rise at its expense. I agree that it is unlikely China wants war, but that does not mean the U.S would allow China to get so strong it could bully the U.S. out of Asia, or allow China to take our place as the most influential state in Latin America.

Do you think China never wanted it or do you think China never had a reasonable chance? I tend to think it's the second. Theyve been biding their time until we did something monumentally stupid. Which, yeah, we did, but also my history books suggest that we would eventually do just that. All global world leaders eventually have.

I don't think China will be so stupid as to be too aggressive. 4 years is a long time. And our military is absurd. I think they'll go piece by piece such that while our leadership is so focused on making sure we use the term "radical Islamic terrorism" they'll slowly creep into turf that we don't want them creeping in, but can't do anything about. Or at least that's what I'd do.

Trump talks tough about US world leadership and China sees an opening and they are very patient. Much different than the US and polar opposite of President Trump.

I'm of the opinion the Chinese have figured out Trump's concern for his businesses and his own financial gains outweigh his concern for our country.

China can out maneuver the US politically and economically right now. We have an utter fool at the wheel and they know it. Militarily is probably another question. Problem is I don't see Trump given one fuck about it. He can play being out maneuvered to his advantage financially. And that's all he really cares about.

U.S. bombers challenge China in South China Sea flyover
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-southchinasea-idUSKBN19S0IU?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Do you think China never wanted it or do you think China never had a reasonable chance? I tend to think it's the second.

It is actually both. They previously passed on a leadership position for two reasons. The first because they did not want to expend the resources or be a rule-maker, and instead wanted to focus on domestic and military growth while benefiting from the status quo. Second, a leadership position often tempts, and sometimes even requires, leaders to violate the sovereign affairs of others. Because China does not want the world poking around in its domestic affairs, it has been hesitant to poke around in the domestic affairs of others. Of course, in the past it was not possible. China continues to grow its military capabilities - conventional and non-conventional - and clearly feels it has more space to maneuver than it did previously. Today, China is more willing to test the U.S. than in the past, and feels it has grown up enough to assert itself globally.

China has dispatched troops to Djibouti in advance of formally establishing the country's first overseas military base.

Two Chinese Navy warships left the port of Zhanjiang on Tuesday, taking an undisclosed number of military personnel on the journey across the Indian Ocean.
An editorial Wednesday in the state-run Global Times stressed the importance of the new Djibouti facility -- in the strategically located Horn of Africa -- to the Chinese military.

China joins the US, France and Japan, among others, with permanent bases in Djibouti, a former French colony with a population of less than one million residents.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/12/asia/china-djibouti-military-base/index.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MB%207-13&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief

BEIJING (Reuters) - China told Japan on Friday to "get used to it" after it flew six warplanes over the Miyako Strait between two southern Japanese islands in a military exercise.

Japan's defense ministry issued a statement late on Thursday describing the flyover by the formation of Xian H-6 bombers earlier that day as "unusual", while noting that there had been no violation of Japanese airspace.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-japan-military-idUSKBN19Z0NO?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=%2ASituation%20Report

Vietnam’s history is full of heroic tales of resistance to China. But this month Hanoi bent the knee to Beijing, humiliated in a contest over who controls the South China Sea, the most disputed waterway in the world. Hanoi has been looking to Washington for implicit backing to see off Beijing’s threats. At the same time, the Trump administration demonstrated that it either does not understand or sufficiently care about the interests of its friends and potential partners in Southeast Asia to protect them against China. Southeast Asian governments will conclude that the United States does not have their backs. And while Washington eats itself over Russian spies and health care debates, one of the world’s most crucial regions is slipping into Beijing’s hands.

A nice little win for China, partially because our friends in SEA have no clue where we stand.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/31/the-week-donald-trump-lost-the-south-china-sea/?utm_content=buffer11015&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

China has Trump by the balls.

They own him after giving his daughter's companies multiple patents. Chinese are playing the long game and they know Trump has the attention span of a gnat. He's all talk.

Right now they are watching him squirm on N. Korea too. Trump's response to N. Korea's recent cheekiness? "Don't blame me"