12-15-2017, 11:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-16-2017, 07:08 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 16-Dec-17 World View -- China-Australia relations plummet over China's illegal militarization of South China Sea
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** China-Australia relations plummet over China's illegal militarization of South China Sea
****
![[Image: g171215b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171215b.jpg)
China's continuing military buildup on Fiery Cross island. This year alone, there was construction on buildings covering 27 acres, or about 110,000 square meters (AMTI/CSIS)
China's relations with Australia have taken a sharp downturn following
the November publication of Australia's "2017 Foreign Policy White
Paper," which harshly criticizes China's illegal militarization of the
South China Sea. The White Paper says the following:
<QUOTE>"The South China Sea is a major fault line in the
regional order. Australia is not a claimant state and does not
take sides in the competing claims. Like other non-claimant
states, however, we have a substantial interest in the stability
of this crucial international waterway, and in the norms and laws
that govern it.
We have urged all claimants to refrain from actions that could
increase tension and have called for a halt to land reclamation
and construction activities. Australia is particularly concerned
by the unprecedented pace and scale of China’s activities.
Australia opposes the use of disputed features and artificial
structures in the South China Sea for military purposes. We
support the resolution of differences through negotiation based on
international law.
All claimants should clarify the full nature and extent of their
claims according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS). The Government reaffirms its position that the
Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the Philippines South
China Sea Arbitration is final and binding on both
parties."<END QUOTE>
According to Australian analyst Nick Bisley, Australia in the past
year has become increasingly outspoken in its criticism of Beijing’s
behavior, particularly in the South China Sea, but also because of
China's interference in Australian domestic affairs. According to
Bisley:
<QUOTE>"But after I recently spent a week in China talking to
scholars, analysts and commentators, it is also clear that the
sourness in Canberra is being reciprocated. The mood among Chinese
elites ranges from head scratching puzzlement to outright
hostility. The people involved in these discussions are Australia
specialists, many have studied here, sent their children to study
here and have a generally positive disposition toward to the
country. Ordinarily, scholars from China tend to be cautious and
often voice their opinions obliquely. Not this time.
[Australia's] very public backing for the arbitration tribunal
decision and its repeated figuring in public pronouncements
appears to be a major concern. 'Australia is not a claimant, so
why does it make it such an issue?' the Chinese wonder. Indeed,
Australia has no disputes or conflicting security interests with
China yet it repeatedly emphasizes that China is making the region
less secure. This seems to get under the skin of many scholars and
commentators."<END QUOTE>
The issue, of course, is that China is an international criminal
according to a harsh July 2016 ruling by a Tribunal at the United
Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. ( "13-Jul-16 World View -- Philippines humiliates China in harsh Hague Tribunal ruling over South China Sea"
) The ruling eviscerated all of China's claims to the
South China Sea, and declared its construction of artificial islands
and military bases in international waters in the South China Sea to
be illegal. Australia Foreign Policy White Paper
****
**** China reacts contemptuously to Australia's foreign policy white paper
****
Pretty much any criticism of China infuriates them, but probably
nothing infuriates them more than any mention of the July 2016
Tribunal ruling, which essentially made China an international
criminal.
So if Australia is increasingly concerned about China's military threat
to the region and the world, then it's not surprising that Australia
has frequently made reference to the Tribunal ruling.
And if Australia is making frequent reference to the Tribunal ruling,
then it's not surprising China is directing more and more of
bottomless supply of fury at Australia. The Foreign Policy White
Paper has drawn a particularly large tsunami of contemptuous criticism
from China's media. These criticisms have called the white paper
"irresponsible." It labeled Australia a "distant propaganda outpost"
agitating against China.
It called Australia "ungrateful" for not appreciating all of the
economic benefits they've had because of China, and threatened that
China "could relegate ties with Australia to the back of the line, and
ignore its immature outburst."
What I found very interesting about Bisley's remarks is that the
Chinese are supposedly bewildered and puzzled by the criticism, since
Australia isn't directly involved in the South China Sea. It's
similar to when a man beats up his wife and then is bewildered and
puzzled why anyone else should care, since they aren't involved.
The Australians are of course concerned that China's illegal
militarization of the South China Sea could result in a regional war
in which Australia will be forced to participate. In fact, Australia
is directly involved in the South China Sea as $3 trillion of
commercial traffic passes through it each year. China's military
belligerence in the South China Sea is of concern to Australia, the
whole region, and the whole world.
For Chinese scholars, analysts and commentators to be bewildered and
puzzled by Australia's concern is just a sign of how delusional the
Chinese people are, something that I've written about many times as
typical in a generational Crisis era. In the case of the Tribunal
ruling, some of China's evidence to support it claims turns out to be
delusional or a complete hoax. Many Chinese people believe that their
dictatorship is inherently stronger than the "weak" Western
democracies, and that they'll win any war easily.
Xi Jinping's 'Socialism with Chinese characteristics' is identical to Hitler's National Socialism.
China is becoming a military dictatorship, is annexing
other countries' territories as Nazi Germany did in Czechoslovakia and
Poland, and is adopting strong nationalist, xenophobic and racist
views targeting the Tibetans, Uighurs, Japanese, South Koreans,
Philippine people, and Vietnamese.
As I've written in the past, China is behaving in a highly emotional,
irrational, panicky, nationalistic manner, issuing delusional and
fabricated evidence to support claims that everybody knows are false
claims. China is preparing for a war that it believes it will win,
but instead will cause the worst catastrophe in history, to itself and
the entire world. China Daily
and Lowy Institute (Australia) and Australian Broadcasting
Related Articles
****
**** China continues aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea
****
China's aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea has been
out of the news for a while, but not because it hasn't been occurring.
New imagery released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
(AMTI) show that China has been aggressively implementing illegal
offensive and defensive weapons systems on their artificial islands.
According to AMTI:
<QUOTE>"AMTI has identified all the permanent facilities on
which China completed or began work since the start of the
year. These include buildings ranging from underground storage
areas and administrative buildings to large radar and sensor
arrays. These facilities account for about 72 acres, or 290,000
square meters, of new real estate at Fiery Cross, Subi, and
Mischief Reefs in the Spratlys, and North, Tree, and Triton
Islands in the Paracels. This does not include temporary
structures like storage containers or cement plants, or work other
than construction, such as the spreading of soil and planting of
grass at the new outposts."<END QUOTE>
According to AMTI, "China is poised to substantially boost its radar
and signals intelligence capabilities." There's an irony here that
this is the same kind of capability that comes with America's Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense systems.
China has been infuriated that there are THAAD systems deployed in
South Korea, but at least those are legal. China's radar systems in
the South China Sea are a violation of international law. Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (CSIS/AMTI) and Reuters
Related Articles
****
**** Trump to target China's unfair trade policies in National Security Strategy
****
President Donald Trump will target China by alleging unfair trade
policies in a National Security Strategy (NSS) to be released on
Monday. Trump will accuse China of exploiting the international trade
system. According to the current draft:
<QUOTE>"The United States helped to expand the liberal
economic trading system to countries that did not share our values
in the hopes that these states would liberalize their economic and
political practices, and provide commensurate benefits to the
United States. Experience now suggests that these countries
distorted and undermined key economic institutions without
prompting significant reform of their economies or
politics."<END QUOTE>
Since taking office, Trump has sought to maintain friendly relations
with China, even treating China's president Xi Jinping as a kind of
BFF, in order to elicit cooperation on the North Korea nuclear missile
crisis.
This new NSS statement appears to be at least a partial U-turn on that
policy, at a time when relations between Australia and China are
reaching a new low. Free Beacon
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Australia, China, South China Sea,
Nick Bisley, Fiery Cross reef,
United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration, PCA,
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, AMTI,
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, South Korea
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- China-Australia relations plummet over China's illegal militarization of South China Sea
- China reacts contemptuously to Australia's foreign policy white paper
- China continues aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea
- Trump to target China's unfair trade policies in National Security Strategy
****
**** China-Australia relations plummet over China's illegal militarization of South China Sea
****
China's continuing military buildup on Fiery Cross island. This year alone, there was construction on buildings covering 27 acres, or about 110,000 square meters (AMTI/CSIS)
China's relations with Australia have taken a sharp downturn following
the November publication of Australia's "2017 Foreign Policy White
Paper," which harshly criticizes China's illegal militarization of the
South China Sea. The White Paper says the following:
<QUOTE>"The South China Sea is a major fault line in the
regional order. Australia is not a claimant state and does not
take sides in the competing claims. Like other non-claimant
states, however, we have a substantial interest in the stability
of this crucial international waterway, and in the norms and laws
that govern it.
We have urged all claimants to refrain from actions that could
increase tension and have called for a halt to land reclamation
and construction activities. Australia is particularly concerned
by the unprecedented pace and scale of China’s activities.
Australia opposes the use of disputed features and artificial
structures in the South China Sea for military purposes. We
support the resolution of differences through negotiation based on
international law.
All claimants should clarify the full nature and extent of their
claims according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS). The Government reaffirms its position that the
Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the Philippines South
China Sea Arbitration is final and binding on both
parties."<END QUOTE>
According to Australian analyst Nick Bisley, Australia in the past
year has become increasingly outspoken in its criticism of Beijing’s
behavior, particularly in the South China Sea, but also because of
China's interference in Australian domestic affairs. According to
Bisley:
<QUOTE>"But after I recently spent a week in China talking to
scholars, analysts and commentators, it is also clear that the
sourness in Canberra is being reciprocated. The mood among Chinese
elites ranges from head scratching puzzlement to outright
hostility. The people involved in these discussions are Australia
specialists, many have studied here, sent their children to study
here and have a generally positive disposition toward to the
country. Ordinarily, scholars from China tend to be cautious and
often voice their opinions obliquely. Not this time.
[Australia's] very public backing for the arbitration tribunal
decision and its repeated figuring in public pronouncements
appears to be a major concern. 'Australia is not a claimant, so
why does it make it such an issue?' the Chinese wonder. Indeed,
Australia has no disputes or conflicting security interests with
China yet it repeatedly emphasizes that China is making the region
less secure. This seems to get under the skin of many scholars and
commentators."<END QUOTE>
The issue, of course, is that China is an international criminal
according to a harsh July 2016 ruling by a Tribunal at the United
Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. ( "13-Jul-16 World View -- Philippines humiliates China in harsh Hague Tribunal ruling over South China Sea"
) The ruling eviscerated all of China's claims to the
South China Sea, and declared its construction of artificial islands
and military bases in international waters in the South China Sea to
be illegal. Australia Foreign Policy White Paper
****
**** China reacts contemptuously to Australia's foreign policy white paper
****
Pretty much any criticism of China infuriates them, but probably
nothing infuriates them more than any mention of the July 2016
Tribunal ruling, which essentially made China an international
criminal.
So if Australia is increasingly concerned about China's military threat
to the region and the world, then it's not surprising that Australia
has frequently made reference to the Tribunal ruling.
And if Australia is making frequent reference to the Tribunal ruling,
then it's not surprising China is directing more and more of
bottomless supply of fury at Australia. The Foreign Policy White
Paper has drawn a particularly large tsunami of contemptuous criticism
from China's media. These criticisms have called the white paper
"irresponsible." It labeled Australia a "distant propaganda outpost"
agitating against China.
It called Australia "ungrateful" for not appreciating all of the
economic benefits they've had because of China, and threatened that
China "could relegate ties with Australia to the back of the line, and
ignore its immature outburst."
What I found very interesting about Bisley's remarks is that the
Chinese are supposedly bewildered and puzzled by the criticism, since
Australia isn't directly involved in the South China Sea. It's
similar to when a man beats up his wife and then is bewildered and
puzzled why anyone else should care, since they aren't involved.
The Australians are of course concerned that China's illegal
militarization of the South China Sea could result in a regional war
in which Australia will be forced to participate. In fact, Australia
is directly involved in the South China Sea as $3 trillion of
commercial traffic passes through it each year. China's military
belligerence in the South China Sea is of concern to Australia, the
whole region, and the whole world.
For Chinese scholars, analysts and commentators to be bewildered and
puzzled by Australia's concern is just a sign of how delusional the
Chinese people are, something that I've written about many times as
typical in a generational Crisis era. In the case of the Tribunal
ruling, some of China's evidence to support it claims turns out to be
delusional or a complete hoax. Many Chinese people believe that their
dictatorship is inherently stronger than the "weak" Western
democracies, and that they'll win any war easily.
Xi Jinping's 'Socialism with Chinese characteristics' is identical to Hitler's National Socialism.
China is becoming a military dictatorship, is annexing
other countries' territories as Nazi Germany did in Czechoslovakia and
Poland, and is adopting strong nationalist, xenophobic and racist
views targeting the Tibetans, Uighurs, Japanese, South Koreans,
Philippine people, and Vietnamese.
As I've written in the past, China is behaving in a highly emotional,
irrational, panicky, nationalistic manner, issuing delusional and
fabricated evidence to support claims that everybody knows are false
claims. China is preparing for a war that it believes it will win,
but instead will cause the worst catastrophe in history, to itself and
the entire world. China Daily
and Lowy Institute (Australia) and Australian Broadcasting
Related Articles
- Xi Jinping's 'Socialism with Chinese characteristics' is identical to Hitler's National Socialism (24-Oct-2017)
- Australia's defense plans stress huge naval buildup targeting China (04-Mar-2016)
- Australian MP Clive Palmer shocks country with anti-China rant (21-Aug-2014)
- China displays belligerence, militarism in WW II victory parade (04-Sep-2015)
- China repudiates its Hong Kong 'One Country, Two Systems' agreement with Britain (01-Jul-2017)
****
**** China continues aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea
****
China's aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea has been
out of the news for a while, but not because it hasn't been occurring.
New imagery released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
(AMTI) show that China has been aggressively implementing illegal
offensive and defensive weapons systems on their artificial islands.
According to AMTI:
<QUOTE>"AMTI has identified all the permanent facilities on
which China completed or began work since the start of the
year. These include buildings ranging from underground storage
areas and administrative buildings to large radar and sensor
arrays. These facilities account for about 72 acres, or 290,000
square meters, of new real estate at Fiery Cross, Subi, and
Mischief Reefs in the Spratlys, and North, Tree, and Triton
Islands in the Paracels. This does not include temporary
structures like storage containers or cement plants, or work other
than construction, such as the spreading of soil and planting of
grass at the new outposts."<END QUOTE>
According to AMTI, "China is poised to substantially boost its radar
and signals intelligence capabilities." There's an irony here that
this is the same kind of capability that comes with America's Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense systems.
China has been infuriated that there are THAAD systems deployed in
South Korea, but at least those are legal. China's radar systems in
the South China Sea are a violation of international law. Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (CSIS/AMTI) and Reuters
Related Articles
- Chinese vessels massing near Philippines island in South China Sea (20-Aug-2017)
- Philippines humiliates China in harsh Hague Tribunal ruling over South China Sea (13-Jul-2016)
- China's 'ironclad proof' of South China Sea claims revealed as hoax (22-Jun-2016)
- South China Sea: China's list of supporters is found to be delusional (24-Jun-2016)
****
**** Trump to target China's unfair trade policies in National Security Strategy
****
President Donald Trump will target China by alleging unfair trade
policies in a National Security Strategy (NSS) to be released on
Monday. Trump will accuse China of exploiting the international trade
system. According to the current draft:
<QUOTE>"The United States helped to expand the liberal
economic trading system to countries that did not share our values
in the hopes that these states would liberalize their economic and
political practices, and provide commensurate benefits to the
United States. Experience now suggests that these countries
distorted and undermined key economic institutions without
prompting significant reform of their economies or
politics."<END QUOTE>
Since taking office, Trump has sought to maintain friendly relations
with China, even treating China's president Xi Jinping as a kind of
BFF, in order to elicit cooperation on the North Korea nuclear missile
crisis.
This new NSS statement appears to be at least a partial U-turn on that
policy, at a time when relations between Australia and China are
reaching a new low. Free Beacon
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Australia, China, South China Sea,
Nick Bisley, Fiery Cross reef,
United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration, PCA,
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, AMTI,
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, South Korea
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
