This morning's key headlines from
GenerationalDynamics.com:
- China warns Australia not to side with America in case of war
- Philippines seeks U.N. arbitration over South China Sea dispute
- China increases surveillance in the South China Sea
- U.S. begins transporting French soldiers to Mali
China warns Australia not to side with America in case of war
Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu of China's National Defence University
has raised the specter of a nuclear war, and warned Australia not
to side with America and Japan. Liu is not an official spokesman
for China, but his views are approved. Referring to the
dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands,
Liu said that China was prepared to fight "to the death":
America is the global tiger and Japan is Asia's wolf
and both are now madly biting China. Of all the animals, Chinese
people hate the wolf the most.
If this Japanese wolf again attacks America's Pearl Harbor or
Australia's Darwin, how do you know it wouldn't receive another
nuclear bomb? The world would hail if Japan receives such a blow.
I don't want to mention China here, as it is sensitive...
[Australia should play the role of a] kind-hearted
lamb. Australia should never play the jackal for the tiger or
dance with the wolf.
See also: "19-Jan-13 World View -- China's directive to the People's Liberation Army: Get Ready for War"
The Age (Australia) and International Business Times (Australia)
Philippines seeks U.N. arbitration over South China Sea dispute
The Philippines took a desperate legal step on Tuesday, formally
notifying China that it's seeking international arbitration under the
1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China
has used its military to block Philippines' access to the Scarborough
Shoal, which is part of Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
under UNCLOS. China has made it clear that they are going to use
their military power to take control of the entire South China Sea,
including several regions that have historically belonged to other
countries, following a policy similar to Hitler's "Lebensraum" policy.
They've announced that they intend to begin boarding and seizing
control of other countries' ships in the South China Sea. At a news
conference, Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said:
This afternoon, the Philippines has taken the step of
bringing China before an arbitral tribunal under... the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) in order
to achieve a peaceful and durable solution to the dispute over the
West Philippine Sea. [Since 1995, the Philippines has exhausted
almost] all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful
negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China.
On numerous occasions, dating back to 1995, the Philippines has
been exchanging views with China to peacefully settle these
disputes. [However, up until] this day, a solution is still
elusive.
According to one Chinese diplomat, "We are not afraid of UNCLOS.
Manila underestimates our knowledge at its peril." Manila Standard and South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
China increases surveillance in the South China Sea
Two additional fleets of Chinese marine surveillance ships are
carrying out separate patrol missions in the South China Sea. (I
assume that these are the fleets that will support China's announced
policy of boarding and seizing foreign ships.) China says that it
will continue to carry out regular patrols in the East and South China
Seas "to secure the nation's maritime rights and interests." Xinhua
U.S. begins transporting French soldiers to Mali
U.S. Air Force C-17 transport planes have begun flights from the French
base in Istres, France, to Bamako, carrying French troops and
equipment. 3,150 French troops will be involved in the Mali
operation, code-named "Operation Serval," and the transport missions
will operate for several more days, according to the U.S. military's
Africa Command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany. AP
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