Originally Posted by
petit plateau
I agree, and with $4.50, you can get a cafe latte with that.
If Russia is unable to be trusted in transiting international waters or EEZ or territorial water or international passages without causing damage, then they need to be escorted with an armed force that is trained directly at their bridges as a suggestion to not drop their picks over infrastructure. In the baltic, it is reasonable to charge a transit fee for the reminder service, and to ask the ships captains to sign a waiver for the consequential loss of their ship, cargo and crew should their behaviour need to be responded to. They can always not sign and go home. This would be argued to be a blockade, and the silks would not need to be Rumple or Perry Mason to argue that was not the case at all, it is a friendly reminder service that due to their historic inability to manage their ship systems is necessary. If Russia and China behave, then there is no blockade, and if they don't, then they get lit up. Nice n' clean. Both Russia and China can always stay home.
As an addition, adding coast guard inspections to all Chinese inbound and outbound shipping needing to transit the SCS would seem to make some sense as well. After all, it is becoming more dangerous due to the actions of PRC coast guard vessels that seem to have an inordinately poor steering system performance, they keep on running into Philippine vessels on a routine basis, can't be taking chances with safety of those involved. I would think that for the thousands of ships that ply the straits of Malacca, a single inspection boat and inspector should be able to clear a cargo ship in no more than 3 days each vessel, so, with about 1000 ships a day, that should get the bean counters working. It is not a blockade mind, it is a safety inspection based on an abundance of due care.