By Eric Margolis
On 30 January, a Chinese Jiangwei II-class frigate entered the disputed waters around the Senkaku Islands, a cluster of uninhabited rocks in the East China Sea claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands. A Japanese destroyer was waiting.
When the two warships were only 3 km apart, the Chinese frigate turned on its fire control radar that aims its 100mm gun and C-802 anti-ship missiles and "painted" the Japanese vessel. The Japanese destroyer went to battle stations and targeted its weapons on the Chinese intruder.
Fortunately, both sides backed down. But this was the most dangerous confrontation to date over the disputed Senkakus. Japan and China were a button push from war.
Soon after, a Japanese naval helicopter was again "painted’ by Chinese fire control radar. Earlier, Chinese aircraft made a clear intrusion over waters claimed by Japan.
China’s Peoples Liberation Army HQ ordered the armed forces onto high alert and reportedly moved large numbers of warplanes and missile batteries to the East China Sea coast.
A US AWACS radar aircraft went on station to monitor the Senkaku/Diaoyus – a reminder that under the 1951 US-Japan mutual defense treaty, Washington recognized the Senkaku Islands as part of Japan and pledged to defend them if attacked. Japan seized the Senkakus as a prize of its 1894-95 war with Imperial China.
China’s state-run media claimed the US was pushing Japan into a confrontation with Beijing to keep China on the strategic defensive.
Japan’s newly elected government led by conservative PM Shinzo Abe vowed to face down with China. Spasms of angry nationalism erupted in both feuding nations. The Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, who also claim the Senkakus, chimed in with their territorial demands.
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I contend we have already engaged China.
ReplyDeleteThe Federal Reserve has demanded China allow their currency to rise against the dollar. (currency war)
There are sanctions on Iran preventing trade with them. I would imagine, since the US cannot contain China financially anymore, they will attempt to cut off their oil supply routes as it will provide an efficient method for control. (trade war)
The US has military bases surrounding China(and everywhere else for that matter). China is heavily invested in resource mining in Africa. The US is now deployed in over 35 African countries under the general term of fighting "terrorism" which I suspect will either lead to mission creep or is just a cover for mobilizing against Chinese resource operations there. (This will lead to a military war)
There have been other tidbits in the news as well: Obama denying Chinese business purchases in the US, China censoring NYT and CNN articles, cyber threats on US banks, and the recent Japan/China island debacle etc.
Of course, the United States cannot financially sustain any more war. At this point it is just agitating foreign nations and inflaming hatred for the US. I suspect that when the Western economies implode, it will leave those Western nations extremely vulnerable to the hatred they have created abroad.
The only saving grace will be that those occupied countries are following the same inane central planning operations that currently plagues the West.
Stated differently, humanity's stupidity is contagious.
The answer is.... of course. There's always gotta be a war when the ponzi is about to be exposed.
ReplyDeleteCurrency wars lead to real fricking wars. China will flex now, and will not back down. It holds the debt and most likely the gold needed to put the Yuan as the new reserve currency. Gold backed all the way, as opposed to an American printing press. The US neocons want war and they will get their belly full.
ReplyDeletehttp://dailyreckoning.com/how-much-gold-does-china-have/
fizzywig,6:34,Scarlett,
ReplyDeleteAmen folks!
Good analysis.
Who will buy our debt after we decide to beat them back?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you meant; who will buy our debt when the FED implodes? China is already a net seller.
DeleteI am at a loss as to why they are risking war over rocks in the sea, with no one on them and presumably no resources to speak of.
ReplyDelete