The South China Sea's Gathering Storm
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
(Not much help in finding MH370, mind you).
(Not much help in finding MH370, mind you).
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
The far away threat just got a little closer to home. I wonder how much intelligence we have on Chinese weapons and counter measures?
Chinese navy transits English Channel.
Chinese navy transits English Channel.
I should imagine very little.....seems to be the British way to muddle through, on the cheap.
The only thing going for it, is that it has got us this far, though I reckon more through luck than judgment. Let's hope this strategy takes us through the Brexit process......
The only thing going for it, is that it has got us this far, though I reckon more through luck than judgment. Let's hope this strategy takes us through the Brexit process......
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Checked out Doklam on Google Maps yesty - what a god-forsaken spot.
Interesting reading about the relative strengths of the two countries' forces.
I'd always thought the Chinese would smash India as in `62.
But it seems India has a more capable Air-Force and Navy - and their navy would be a factor apparently - blockade to apply pressure some think.
But ultimately, China has more buckets of sunshine.
And they're mates with Pakistan.
Let's hope it doesn't escalate beyond shrieking at each other through the media...
Interesting reading about the relative strengths of the two countries' forces.
I'd always thought the Chinese would smash India as in `62.
But it seems India has a more capable Air-Force and Navy - and their navy would be a factor apparently - blockade to apply pressure some think.
But ultimately, China has more buckets of sunshine.
And they're mates with Pakistan.
Let's hope it doesn't escalate beyond shrieking at each other through the media...
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PLA communique issued yesterday:
"China's navy will temporarily seal off part of the Yellow Sea to maritime traffic for "large-scale" military purposes, authorities announced, ahead of the coming 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army."
"China's navy will temporarily seal off part of the Yellow Sea to maritime traffic for "large-scale" military purposes, authorities announced, ahead of the coming 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army."
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that article reads like one of those Indian articles published in 1962 - the PLA have much better logistics and better terrain on the Tibetan side than the Indians have to the south - if push comes to shove I'm sure they could repeat '62 fairly easily
If only the British had surveyed the whole lot properly and the Chinese had signed up to the maps pre-1914 we wouldn't be in this mess
If only the British had surveyed the whole lot properly and the Chinese had signed up to the maps pre-1914 we wouldn't be in this mess
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If only the British had surveyed the whole lot properly and the Chinese had signed up to the maps pre-1914 we wouldn't be in this mess
As for China "signing up" to their ownership of the Spratley's and Paracels, they'd been Chinese for hundreds of years and neither the British nor American empires demurred until extremely recently. The Japanese did, but that was only for a few years.
The Vietnamese started to get a bit cocky once they'd trounced the greatest Empire the world has ever known during The American War and now they feel that they've gone a bit far in pinching Chinese-owned mineral wealth from the 9 or 11 dash area. They've instructed Odfjell Drilling to plug and abandon the well they are drilling in China's patch and to withdraw the drillship Metro 1 from the area.
American imperial power in the region is on the wane. They lost major bases such as Da Nang and Cam Ranh and Clark and Subic. They still have the bases which they pinched from Japan in 1945, but in general they are on the wane and everyone in the region knows it.
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Cazalet - I was thinking of the LAND border that caused the '62 War following Tartares post........
There the argument wasn't helped by poor maps - in the SCS no-one argues about the geographic locations - just how far you can push the boundary.......
The Chinese always used to be quite reasonable and adjusted the land boundary with most of their neighbours - but in the last 20 years they have started the "China as a Great Power" line and are pushing their sea boundaries wider and wider. As it takes two to agree any boundary it's causing a lot of this trouble.......
There the argument wasn't helped by poor maps - in the SCS no-one argues about the geographic locations - just how far you can push the boundary.......
The Chinese always used to be quite reasonable and adjusted the land boundary with most of their neighbours - but in the last 20 years they have started the "China as a Great Power" line and are pushing their sea boundaries wider and wider. As it takes two to agree any boundary it's causing a lot of this trouble.......
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
The Chinese always used to be quite reasonable and adjusted the land boundary with most of their neighbours
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebat...eclaim-siberia
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The far away threat just got a little closer to home. I wonder how much intelligence we have on Chinese weapons and counter measures?
Chinese navy transits English Channel.
Chinese navy transits English Channel.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Seems to me the deployment and intimidation is being done the other way round. Unless the Chinese navy is now going to claim the Baltic as Chinese national waters as well? 
I must admit - when I look at one belt, one road on a map, I am reminded of that sequence at the beginning of Dad's Army.
All those nasty arrows advancing across Europe.
India is kind of encircled - and China is pushing west over the top; China's plans for the road down into Pakistan and then on to a deep water port on the Arabian sea are fascinating, but... a little worrying to be honest.
Xi is a hard nosed strongman - and they are determined to assert their rightful place in history again.
Explains why all those MiGs were so damn busy when I visited Goa recently.
All those nasty arrows advancing across Europe.
India is kind of encircled - and China is pushing west over the top; China's plans for the road down into Pakistan and then on to a deep water port on the Arabian sea are fascinating, but... a little worrying to be honest.
Xi is a hard nosed strongman - and they are determined to assert their rightful place in history again.
Explains why all those MiGs were so damn busy when I visited Goa recently.
If the theories are correct about China's intent, they would seem to be making the same mistake Germany made in '39. Picking on lots of opponents at the same time.
They may come to regret this.
They may come to regret this.
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Just when we all need a little light relief along comes Boris
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ment-102772523
Is this just a cunning stunt to see if the Chinese want to buy the 2nd one. ' as new, never been used ' ?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ment-102772523
Is this just a cunning stunt to see if the Chinese want to buy the 2nd one. ' as new, never been used ' ?
So Boris - are the new carriers coming down to the South China Sea - or not?
Sounded like a bit of a brain fart which he subsequently thought better of between opening his mouth and the Q&A, where he then contradicted himself.
Sounded like a bit of a brain fart which he subsequently thought better of between opening his mouth and the Q&A, where he then contradicted himself.
