China seems to have forgotten about the global pandemic they started. Keep your eyes on activity in the South China Sea.
“Despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic, China has not slowed its military and research activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea.”
The First Real U.S.-China War Could Be Fought In The South China Sea
nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/first-real-us-china-war-could-be-fought-south-china-sea-143847
Watch Korean Peninsula too. The balloon could go up as tensions escalate between the US and China. I’ll be monitoring South Korean preparedness.
thehill.com/opinion/international/476899-china-russia-north-korea-iran-confronting-the-new-axis-of-aggression-and-evil
In response to the Vietnamese fishing boat incident, “the U.S. Department of State also responded with a strongly worded statement expressing its concerns about China’s behavior.”
haha–strongly worded statement? How is that a deterrent? Aggression in the SCS will continue.
thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-danger-of-chinas-maritime-aggression-amid-covid-19/
“On the high seas, the Chinese Navy is protecting the all-important sea lines of communication, bringing essential petroleum back from the Persian Gulf.
Not since the 15th century Ming navy, which sponsored seven Treasure Fleets to the south and west, has China exerted such influence over the seas.”
www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/12/21/op-ed-if-you-seek-peace-with-china-prepare-for-war/
China’s New Hypersonic Aircraft can beat air defense systems:
As the US deals with the Chinese Coronavirus bio-attack, look what is happening in Iraq: China just secured a huge oil deal! In effect, China taking control of Iraqi oil after US sacrificed in the Gulf War.
From Defense Secretary Esper:
“For the United States, “our long-term challenges,” Esper continued, “are China, No. 1, and Russia, No. 2. And what we see happening out there is a China that continues to grow its military strength, its economic power, its commercial activity, and it’s doing so, in many ways, illicitly — or it’s using the international rules-based order against us to continue this growth, to acquire technology, and to do the things that really undermine our [and our allies’] sovereignty, that undermine the rule of law, that really question [Beijing’s] commitment to human rights.”
“The problem is that China has spent at least the past 20 years, partly informed by observations of how the U.S. conducted the Gulf War in the 1990s, preparing for exactly this kind of conflict, and investing in defenses that could violently thwart a U.S. approach.
It has missiles that can sink ships. It has missiles that can down airplanes. And it has missiles that could theoretically reach U.S. regional bases in Japan and Guam, leaving planes and runways vulnerable to attack. “Many Chinese observers suggest that missile strikes on air bases would be part of the opening salvos of a war.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/china-us-war/594793/
AC