Fucking bastards <_<
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/31/china-great-wall-sand-spratlys-us-navy
Quote
US Navy: Beijing creating a 'great wall of sand' in South China Sea
Commander of US Pacific fleet says China is building artificial land in disputed waters by pumping sand on to live coral reefs and paving them with concrete
Associated Press in Canberra
Tuesday 31 March 2015 18.41 BST
China is "creating a great wall of sand" through land reclamation in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions, the commander of the US Pacific fleet said on Tuesday.
Admiral Harry Harris Jr told a naval conference in Australia that competing territorial claims by several nations in the South China Sea are "increasing regional tensions and the potential for miscalculation".
"But what's really drawing a lot of concern in the here and now is the unprecedented land reclamation currently being conducted by China," he said.
"China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs – some of them submerged – and paving over them with concrete. China has now created over 4 square kilometers (1.5 square miles) of artificial landmass," he said.
Harris said the region is known for its beautiful natural islands, but "in sharp contrast, China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months".
China claims virtually all of the South China Sea. The Philippines and other countries that have territorial disputes with China in the busy sea have been particularly concerned by the land reclamation projects, which have turned a number of previously submerged reefs in the Spratlys archipelago into artificial islands with buildings, runways and wharves. The islands could be used for military and other facilities to bolster China's territorial claims.
Harris said the pace of China's construction of artificial islands "raises serious questions about Chinese intentions".
He said the United States continues to urge all claimants to conform to the 2002 China-Asean Declaration of Conduct, in which the parties committed to "exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability".
"How China proceeds will be a key indicator of whether the region is heading toward confrontation or cooperation," he said.
The US says it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of the disputes in a region crucial for world trade. China says its territorial claims have a historical basis and objects to what it considers US meddling.
Harris said the United States is on track to reposition 60% of its navy to the Pacific fleet by 2020.
"By maintaining a capable and credible forward presence in the region, we're able to improve our ability to maintain stability and security," he said. "If any crisis does break out, we're better positioned to quickly respond."
Nuclear combat with the ChiComs over some reefs seems reasonable.
No blood for coral?
China is just displacing those ocean areas to create more living space for their huge and growing population. ;)
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F51rm7ECMLcL.jpg&hash=3946f031a18fd1874570af4fb044702be235b05a)
:hmm:
Again, this is the sort of ostentatious and completely cost-ineffective project that are undertaken by shaky governments to impress domestic audiences. Four square kilometers is a tiny size of a base of any size; a few cruise missiles will wipe out anything there except bunkers. This is symbolism, pure and simple, and any bases constructed will be at the mercy of any potential adversary.
Quote from: KRonn on April 01, 2015, 08:39:29 AM
China is just displacing those ocean areas to create more living space for their huge and growing population. ;)
Actually, it would be awesome if they built another uninhabited city there.
Quote from: grumbler on April 01, 2015, 08:49:11 AM
This is symbolism, pure and simple,
And a pretext for claiming ownership of thousands of square miles of ocean.
FUCKING NUTRAGEOUS
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 01, 2015, 09:05:45 AM
Quote from: grumbler on April 01, 2015, 08:49:11 AM
This is symbolism, pure and simple,
And a pretext for claiming ownership of thousands of square miles of ocean.
What additional territorial claims have they made since creating the islands?
Quote from: grumbler on April 01, 2015, 10:14:49 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 01, 2015, 09:05:45 AM
Quote from: grumbler on April 01, 2015, 08:49:11 AM
This is symbolism, pure and simple,
And a pretext for claiming ownership of thousands of square miles of ocean.
What additional territorial claims have they made since creating the islands?
It's not that they are making additional claims, but that this might be seen as strengthening their claim.
I say lets drop the bomb.
Oh better yet, lets build a bioweapon that only targets chinese DNA.
Then we can go and colonize their territory.
The bar is open.
Quote from: Siege on April 01, 2015, 10:26:12 AM
I say lets drop the bomb.
Oh better yet, lets build a bioweapon that only targets chinese DNA.
Then we can go and colonize their territory.
There are over three million American citizens of Chinese heritage.
Quote from: Barrister on April 01, 2015, 10:18:44 AM
It's not that they are making additional claims, but that this might be seen as strengthening their claim.
I don't believe that it is possible under the Law of the Sea Convention to take actions that strengthen a claim to ownership of the seas. The borders of the EEZ are the borders, and not subject to change by the actions of any party.
Quote from: Barrister on April 01, 2015, 10:28:28 AM
Quote from: Siege on April 01, 2015, 10:26:12 AM
I say lets drop the bomb.
Oh better yet, lets build a bioweapon that only targets chinese DNA.
Then we can go and colonize their territory.
There are over three million American citizens of Chinese heritage.
Spies.
Quote from: Barrister on April 01, 2015, 10:28:28 AM
Quote from: Siege on April 01, 2015, 10:26:12 AM
I say lets drop the bomb.
Oh better yet, lets build a bioweapon that only targets chinese DNA.
Then we can go and colonize their territory.
There are over three million American citizens of Chinese heritage.
They are in concentration camps, right?
I'm ok with the Chinese taking all of these islands.
Yeah, this is why we don't need to be overly worried about the Chinese in the South China sea. Only an idiot would see a threat in this.
They continue their dastardly plot. :angry:
http://news.yahoo.com/images-show-china-building-airstrip-contested-reef-report-170601102.html
Quote
Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip
Reuters
By David Brunnstrom
3 hours ago
By David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Recent satellite images published on Thursday show China has made rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in contested territory in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands and may be planning another, moves that have been greeted with concern in the United States and Asia.
IHS Jane's Defense Weekly said March 23 images provided by Airbus Defence and Space showed work on the runway on reclaimed parts of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, which China contests with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
It said images from earlier in March showed reclamation work on Subu Reef in the Spratlys creating landmasses that, if joined together, could create space for another 3,000-meter (3,281-yard) airstrip.
The report said other images suggested China was working to extend another airstrip to that length in the Paracel Islands further north in the South China Sea.
The report comes a day after the U.S. military commander for Asia, Admiral Samuel Locklear, said China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone should China move to declare one. {ID:nL5N0XC56T]
Senator John McCain, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Chinese moves "aggressive" and said they showed the need for the Obama administration to act on plans to move more military resources into the economically important Asian region and boost cooperation with Asian countries worried by China.
McCain referred to a U.S. intelligence assessment from February that China's military modernization was designed to counteract U.S. strength and said Washington had a lot of work ahead to maintain its military advantage in the Asia-Pacific.
"When any nation fills in 600 acres of land and builds runways and most likely is putting in other kinds of military capabilities in what is international waters, it is clearly a threat to where the world's economy is going, has gone, and will remain for the foreseeable future," McCain told a public briefing in Congress.
FUELING CONCERNS
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the scale of China's land reclamation and construction was fueling concerns within the region that China intends to militarize its outposts and stressed the importance of freedom of navigation.
"The United States has a strong interest in preservation of peace and security in the South China Sea. We do not believe that large-scale land reclamation with the intent to militarize outposts on disputed land features is consistent with the region's desire for peace and stability."
IHS Jane's said images of Fiery Cross Reef showed a paved section of runway 505 meters (552 yards) by 53 meters (58 yards) on the northeastern side of the reef, which China began turning into an island with extensive dredging last year.
IHS Jane's said its photos showed further dredging work on the southwestern side of the island and floating cranes consolidating a harbor.
Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank said satellite photographs from April 11 showed the runway about one-third complete, with a projected total length at 3,110 meters (3,401 yards), large enough for heavy military transport planes and fighters.
CSIS said the reclamation work could help China press its territorial claims, many of which are more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from its shores, by allowing it to sustain long-distance sea and air patrols.
However, its artificial islands were too small and vulnerable, both to weather and wartime targeting, to support major forward deployment of military forces, it said.
U.S. WARNS AGAINST MILITARIZATION
Last week, the United States warned against militarization of contested territory in Asia, and President Barack Obama accused China of using its "sheer size and muscle" to push around smaller nations, after Beijing sketched out plans to use the Spratlys for military defense as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries.
The United States says it does not take sides in the South China Sea but has called for a freeze on provocative acts.
At a seminar in Washington on Thursday, China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said it was "natural" that its reclamation work would include military defense facilities.
He said there "should be no illusion that anyone could impose on China a unilateral status quo" or "repeatedly violate China's sovereignty without consequences."
In an apparent reference to U.S. air activity, Cui added that the U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea, to which the United States is not a signatory, did not give anyone the right to "conduct intensive and close-range reconnaissance in other countries' exclusive economic zone."
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion of trade passes every year. Western and Asian naval officials have expressed fears that Beijing could try to limit both sea and air navigation once its reclaimed islands are fully established.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Ted Botha and Ken Wills)
Tim, are you trying to confirm, or counter, Raz's argument that "only an idiot would see a threat in this?"
LEAVE CHINA ALONE!
(https://imgflip.com/readImage?iid=7343489)
We know you dine on paper plates.
Quote from: The Brain on April 17, 2015, 07:10:39 AM
We know you dine on paper plates.
Those are the days I volunteer to do the dishes.