Ship (shit) approaching island (fan)

[yankeedoodle]

The carefully-plotted "incident" that could trigger World War III is being implemented, according to this report that a US Navy destroyer intends to challenge China's territorial claims to artificial islands that the are constructing.  False flag time, perhaps?  Maybe another Tonkin Gulf incident? 

US plans to send destroyer to China's artificial islands – reports
https://www.rt.com/news/319787-us-destroyer-china-islands/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome


The US Navy is planning to send one of its destroyers on a patrol route that goes within 12 sea miles of artificial islands created by China in the South China Sea. The ship will reportedly leave in the next 24 hours to dispute Chinese territorial claims.

The USS Lassen destroyer will pass by the Subi and Mischief reefs, which belong to the Spratly archipelago, over which China claims sovereignty, reported Reuters, citing US officials. Both reefs were initially submerged before China began an ambitious dredging project aimed at turning them into islands.

The US vessel could be accompanied by one or two US Navy surveillance planes which already repeatedly conducted reconnaissance flights in the area, an unnamed US official told the agency.

According to the US Navy, additional patrols could follow in the coming weeks. The US has already sent its vessels on similar patrols that went near parts of the Spratly reefs previously built up by Vietnam and the Philippines, Reuters added citing the US Defense Department.

The reported patrol will take place weeks ahead of several Asia-Pacific summits that are scheduled for the second half of November. Both US president Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping are expected to attend them. Under such circumstances, the patrol carries with it a risk of aggravating tensions between the two countries.

China is building several artificial islands in the disputed territory, which are to play host to radar stations, airstrips and other facilities. Critics insist they are to serve military purposes. China says the military aspect of its reclamation program is minimal and that the islands' purpose is mostly civilian.

At the same time, China believes the islands to be its sovereign territory and also considers the 12 mile zone around the islands its territorial waters. Beijing would "never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight," country's foreign ministry stated in early October.

The US disputes China's claims and argues that, under international law, building artificial islands does not allow a country to lay claims to sovereignty. Additionally, the US and some of its allies believe that the country's actions could affect sea trade in the region.

"Nearly three quarters of our trade moves through that South China Sea, so I think it's quite legitimate for us to have a view on the need to make sure that we've got passage," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said two weeks ago.

The US is planning to challenge China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

"Make no mistake, the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do around the world, and the South China Sea will not be an exception," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a news conference on October 13, after a two-day meeting between senior American and Australian officials.

In response to the US plans, Beijing warned Washington off violating the country's "adjacent waters and the skies over those expanding islands" by threatening to use military force "if the US encroaches on China's core interests."

[MikeWB]

There hasn't been a false flag / Gulf of Tonkin event yet.



China Calls U.S. Challenge Over Island Threat to Regional Peace

China said it will take "all necessary measures" to defend its territory after the U.S. sailed a warship through waters claimed by China in the disputed South China Sea, a move the government in Beijing called a threat to peace and stability in Asia.

QuickTake Territorial Disputes

"The behavior of the U.S. warship threatened China's sovereignty and national interest, endangered the safety of the island's staff and facilities, and harmed the regional peace and stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement today. "The Chinese side expressed its strong discontent and firm opposition."

The comments came hours after the USS Lassen passed within 12-nautical miles of Subi Reef, an island built by China as a platform to assert its claim to almost 80 percent of one of the world's busiest waterways. By passing so close to the man-made island, the U.S. is showing it doesn't recognize that the feature qualifies for a 12-nautical mile territorial zone under international law.

The patrol marks the most direct attempt by the U.S. to challenge China's territorial claims and comes weeks after President Barack Obama told President Xi Jinping at a Washington summit that the U.S. would enforce freedom of navigation and that China should refrain from militarizing the waterway. The spat threatens to fuel U.S.-China tensions ahead of multilateral meetings to be attended by Xi and Obama, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Philippine capital next month.
'Risky Behavior'

In a strongly-worded statement, Lu said the USS Lassen had "illegally" entered Chinese waters and that "relevant Chinese departments monitored, shadowed and warned the U.S. ship." China has "indisputable" sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and surrounding waters, Lu said.

China bases its claims to most of the sea, a conduit for trade and energy supplies between Europe and Asia, on a so-called nine-dash line for which it won't give precise coordinates. China has stepped up its island building in the past year and is installing runways capable of handling military aircraft to extend its control over the waterway, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

"What the U.S. is doing now will only damage the stability in the South China Sea, and send the wrong message to neighboring nations such as the Philippines and encourage them to take some risky behavior," said Xu Liping, a professor of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government-linked institute.

Chinese aerospace companies and shipbuilders rallied on news of the patrol. Shipbuilder China CSSC Holdings Ltd. climbed 4.4 percent in Shanghai, while Aerospace Communications Holding Group Co. surged 10 percent.

The U.S. had previously flown Poseidon surveillance aircraft in the area, though not within 12 nautical miles of the islands. The U.S. Navy patrol was part of routine operations to defend freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, according to a Defense Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"There are billions of dollars of commerce that flow through that region of the world every year," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "Ensuring the free flow of this commerce and that freedom of navigation of those vessels is protected is critically important to the global economy."
Air Defense Zone

China may choose to respond without directly challenging U.S. ships with its Navy or coast guard. It could declare an Air Defense Identification Zone over the South China Sea, or speed up the militarization of the area by deploying extra forces, including combat aircraft, to the islands, said Malcolm Davis, an assistant professor in China-Western relations at Bond University on Australia's Gold Coast.

"The ball would then be back in the U.S.'s court," Davis said. "A Chinese attempt to enforce an ADIZ over the South China Sea would increase tensions with its neighbors, most notably Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, and they would place increasing pressure on Washington not to back down."

China's foreign ministry said in May it reserves the right to establish an air zone over the South China Sea. In November 2013 it set up a zone covering islands in the East China Sea also claimed by Japan, prompting the U.S. to fly B-52 bombers into the area to challenge its enforcement.

China's South China Sea reclamation program created 2,900 acres in the Spratlys as of June, according to the Pentagon. China contends its building of airstrips and other facilities is mostly for civilian purposes.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said he had no objection to U.S. ships sailing near the disputed territory as long as the vessels adhere to international law and have no hostile intentions. The Philippines has has taken its territorial dispute with China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. China has said it doesn't accept the proceedings, and won't take part in arbitration.

The tensions impact on Japan's security, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said. "Our country believes it is important for the international community to work together to protect open, free and peaceful seas," he said, declining to comment on the specific U.S. operation. Japan is not a claimant in the South China Sea.

"Large-scale land reclamation in the South China Sea and the building of bases changes the status quo and raises tensions," he told reporters Tuesday. "Such one-sided actions are a common concern of international society."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-26/u-s-said-to-allow-navy-patrol-by-disputed-chinese-made-islands

[MikeWB]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/us-warship-lassen-defies-beijing-sail-disputed-south-china-sea-islands

Beijing summons US ambassador over warship in South China Sea

Chinese foreign ministry says Washington acted illegally when USS Lassen entered waters near disputed Spratly archipelago
USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing.
USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

Tom Phillips in Beijing

Tuesday 27 October 2015 15.38 GMT

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China has reportedly summoned the US ambassador after Washington launched a direct military challenge to Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea with naval manoeuvres near two artificial islands.

State television reported that the Chinese vice-foreign minister, Zhang Yesui, had branded the move "extremely irresponsible" when meeting with the US ambassador to China, Max Baucus.

Chinese authorities said earlier they had monitored, followed and warned US warship USS Lassen as it "illegally" entered waters near the disputed reefs, and urged Washington to "immediately correct its mistake".
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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang warns the US over military moves in South China Sea

The US defence secretary, Ash Carter, confirmed under questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the warship had passed within 12 miles of a Chinese artificial island.

The USS Lassen began its mission through waters near the disputed Spratly archipelago at about 6.40am local time on Tuesday.

"The operation has begun ... It will be complete within a few hours," a senior US defence official told Reuters.

Related: US manoeuvre in South China Sea leaves little wiggle room with China

The guided-missile destroyer reportedly received orders to travel within 12 nautical miles (22.2km, or 13.8 miles) of the Spratlys' Mischief and Subi reefs, which are at the heart of a controversial Chinese island building campaign that has soured ties between Washington and Beijing. Chinese officials were not informed of Tuesday's mission, US officials said.

Addressing journalists in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesman, said China was strongly dissatisfied with America's actions, which he described as a threat to China's sovereignty.

But he refused to be drawn on whether China would consider a military response. "I will not answer hypothetical questions," Lu said. "We hope that the US side will not take actions that will backfire."

Lu warned that further "provocative actions" might lead to accelerated Chinese construction in the South China Sea: "It would be a pity for us to realise that we have to strengthen and speed up relevant construction activities."

The Chinese embassy in Washington said the concept of "freedom of navigation" should not be used as an excuse for muscle-flexing and the US should "refrain from saying or doing anything provocative and act responsibly in maintaining regional peace and stability".

Earlier, as reports of the freedom of navigation operation emerged, China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, warned Washington to "act prudently to avoid provocation".

Related: Tensions and territorial claims in the South China Sea – the Guardian briefing

China's official news agency, Xinhua, said Wang had urged the US to "think twice, and not act rashly and make trouble out of nothing".

Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore's Institute of South East Asian Studies, said Washington's decision to deploy a warship rather than a smaller vessel underlined its determination to issue a powerful signal of intent.

"They've gone in heavy. There is not much else heavier than that except an aircraft carrier," he said. "They want to send a very clear message to China that they are serious about this."
This image from the US navy purportedly shows Chinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief reef in the disputed Spratly archipelago in May 2015.
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This image from the US navy purportedly shows Chinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief reef in the disputed Spratly archipelago in May 2015. Photograph: Reuters

Rory Medcalf, the head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said the operation was "a warning for China not to overplay its hand in signalling that America is not welcome in the South China Sea".

Storey said the "$64,000 question" was how Beijing would respond to the long-anticipated US move, which follows months of escalating tensions in the region, where Beijing has overlapping territorial claims with countries including Vietnam and the Philippines.

"China will have to react – it cannot not react to this," Storey said. "Nationalism in China is such that China will be expected to make a robust response to this.

"This is why the US has had to consider these operations very carefully," he added. "They'd have to take into account how China would respond. And if China does move to challenge these operations using coastguard operations or naval ships then that raises the risk of a collision or worse."

China's military buildup in the South China Sea – including the construction of a 3km runway capable of supporting fighter jets and transport planes – has become a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington.

Subi and Mischief reefs were submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project in 2014. It now claims a 12 nautical mile territorial limit around the artificial islands, although the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea says such limits cannot be set around man-made islands built on previously submerged reefs.

The US president, Barack Obama, said he had held "candid discussions" with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, over the issue during Xi's recent state visit to the US.

However, Medcalf said Tuesday's operation, for which the navy had been preparing for months, indicated Washington was unsatisfied with the outcome of those talks.

"Clearly there was a decision to wait until after the Xi Jinping visit and I suspect to base American behaviour on the outcomes of that visit," he said.
Map Areas of South China Sea claimed by surrounding nations

Speaking earlier this month, officials in Beijing cautioned the US against "provocative" actions in the South China Sea. "China will never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the South China Sea," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

China claims most of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, although Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Beijing says the islands will have mainly civilian uses as well as undefined defence purposes.

But satellite photographs have shown the construction of three military-length airstrips by China in the Spratlys, including one each on Mischief and Subi reefs.
Satellite image of airstrip construction on the Fiery Cross reef in the South China Sea.
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Satellite image of airstrip construction on the Fiery Cross reef in the South China Sea. Photograph: Reuters

Pentagon officials have spent months lobbying for the White House to take a harder line on China's actions in the South China Sea, which is a key global shipping lane, through which more than $5tn of world trade passes every year.

"There are billions of dollars of commerce that float through that region of the world," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing. "Ensuring that free flow of commerce ... is critical to the global economy."

Carter has accused Beijing of constructing "massive outposts" in the South China Sea that increase "the risk of miscalculation or conflict" in the region.

"Make no mistake, we will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits," the US defence secretary said this month. "We will do that in the time and place of our choosing."

Pentagon officials said Tuesday's mission, the first such operation since 2012, would followed by many others.

Earlier reports said the ship would likely be accompanied by a US navy P-8A surveillance plane and possibly a P-3 surveillance plane, which have been conducting regular surveillance missions in the region.

"The United States' credibility is at stake here," said Storey. "If it just did a one-off symbolic drive-by then US credibility suffers in the region so this I think is going to be the first of many such operations in the future."

Related: If US relations with China turn sour, there will probably be war | Timothy Garton Ash

Pentagon officials say the US regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations around the world to challenge excessive maritime claims.

In early September, China sent naval vessels within 12 miles of the Aleutian islands off Alaska. China said they were there as part of a routine drill following exercises with Russia.

The Australian defence minister, Marise Payne, said her country had not been involved in Tuesday's manoeuvres but indicated support for the US move.

"It is important to recognise that all states have a right under international law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea. Australia strongly supports these rights," Payne said in a statement.

[yankeedoodle]

Rory Medcalf, the head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said the operation was "a warning for China not to overplay its hand in signalling that America is not welcome in the South China Sea". 

Carter has accused Beijing of constructing "massive outposts" in the South China Sea that increase "the risk of miscalculation or conflict" in the region. 

Maybe David Icke is right.  Damned sure would like to know the location of the hatchery for the eggs that produce these fucking brainless cold-blooded-instinctive lizard bastards. 

[MikeWB]

China seems emboldened lately and they don't seem to view US as the world hegemon anymore. US clearly doesn't like the new arrangement. I doubt China will stop. They'll continue expanding and building islands and continue asserting their power on other regional countries. Because who will stop them? The Nobel Peace Prize winner? Heh.

[yankeedoodle]

China warns US against 'minor' incidents that could 'spark war'
https://www.rt.com/news/320116-china-us-incident-spark-war/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

China has issued its strongest warning yet to the US over an incident during which a US destroyer sailed within territorial waters of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea, claiming that US faces running the risk of "a minor incident that sparks war."
On Tuesday, the Aegis destroyer USS Lassen entered within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, an undersea cliff in the South China Sea, which Beijing turned into an artificial island. The destroyer was reportedly traveling with a Navy surveillance airplane near the contested Spratly Islands. China views the man-made creation as part of its territory and claims territorial sovereignty over the waters surrounding it.

Addressing the issue of US intrusion on Thursday in a video teleconference, Admiral Wu Shengli warned the chief of US naval operations Admiral John Richardson to refrain from further "provocative acts".

"If the United States continues with these kinds of dangerous, provocative acts, there could well be a seriously pressing situation between frontline forces from both sides on the sea and in the air, or even a minor incident that sparks war," Wu said, according to a Chinese naval statement.

"(I) hope the US side cherishes the good situation between the Chinese and US navies that has not come easily and avoids these kinds of incidents from happening again," Wu added.

Commenting on the bilateral exchange during the teleconference, an American official told Reuters that both sides agreed to avoid clashes. The US and Chinese navies also decided to maintain dialogue and follow protocols stipulated under the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).

"They agreed that it's very important that both sides continue to use the protocols under the CUES agreement when they're operating close to keep the chances for misunderstanding and any kind of provocation from occurring," said the official.

The US Navy stressed that it is entitled to "protect the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law."

Following the incident Beijing had summoned the American ambassador to protest the "provocative" maneuver that according to China's foreign ministry placed personnel and infrastructure on the island in jeopardy. Close to 200 Chinese troops are believed to be stationed at Subi reef. The reef is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Chinese sailors look at the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer © Aly Song China 'not frightened of war with US' – Chinese media after Spratly Islands destroyer incident
Subi Reef lies 500 nautical miles away from Hainan Island, the nearest Chinese shoreline, but only 230 nautical miles from the island of Palawan in the Philippines which disputes Beijing's territorial claim.

On Thursday, the court in the Hague ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear territorial claims that were filed by the Philippines over the disputed areas in the South China Sea. The UN-based body will hold further hearings to settle the issue but they will not focus on sovereignty but rather economic entitlements.

"This arbitration concerns the role of 'historic rights' and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, the status of certain maritime features in the South China Sea and the maritime entitlements they are capable of generating, and the lawfulness of certain actions by China in the South China Sea that are alleged by the Philippines to violate the Convention," a press release issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration read.