World View: China Escalates Military Buildup in South China Sea

World View: China Escalates Military Buildup in South China Sea

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

  • Wikileaks poised to embarrass the Syrian regime and its American supporters
  • Artillery from Syria kills people in Lebanon
  • China escalates military buildup in South China Sea
  • Philippines: China is annexing the West Philippine Sea
  • Japan / China tensions rise over disputed islands in the East China Sea

Wikileaks poised to embarrass the Syrian regime and its American supporters

Bashar al-Assad, who wears aHitler-like mustache, and his lovely wife Asma.  Supposedly, thee-mail messages contain personal information about their relationship.(AP)
Bashar al-Assad, who wears aHitler-like mustache, and his lovely wife Asma. Supposedly, thee-mail messages contain personal information about their relationship.(AP)

WikiLeaks announced on Thursday that it would publish material from2.4 million Syrian e-mail messages, many of them from officialgovernment accounts. The messages would be published gradually, overa period of months. The first batch of e-mail messages containscommunications between the Syrian government and its New York/Londonbased PR firm Brown Lloyd James (BLJ). In the messages the firm BLJadvises the Bashar al-Assad regime how to use public relations tocreate an appearance of reform while continuing to assault, torture,maim and exterminate innocent Sunni Arab protesters. However, BLJasserts that they were attempting to convince the Assad regime to stopthe violence. AP and Ynet

Artillery from Syria kills people in Lebanon

Local farm residents in northern Lebanon are fleeing their villagesboy, were killed in their homes by artillery shells fired from acrossthe border in Syria. Fighting has been increasing along theSyria-Lebanon border, and it’s widely feared that the fighting inSyria will spread to the region as a whole. BBC

China escalates military buildup in South China Sea

China is announcing that a team of four China Marine Surveillanceships have arrived at the Spratly Islands in the South china Sea, inorder to “protect China’s territory.” The Chinese refer to them asthe Nansha Islands. The ships appear to be combat ready, as they’vealready threatened and driven away a Vietnamese vessel “trying to passthrough Chinese territory at high speed.” It’s just one example ofhow the Chinese are protecting their “sovereignty” in South China sea,and “to enforce law and order within China’s territorial waters.”China’s military buildup is in preparation for a war to enforce itsclaim to have full sovereignty over the entire South China Sea,including areas historically belonging to other countries.

Xinhua

Philippines: China is annexing the West Philippine Sea

South China Sea, withblue line added to show region claimed by China as part of itssovereign territory
South China Sea, withblue line added to show region claimed by China as part of itssovereign territory

As part of China’s military escalation in the South China Sea, Chinais establishing a prefecture-level city called Sansha City near theSpratly Islands to govern the entire regime. A Philippines officialsays that the move is a “virtual annexation” of the West PhilippineSea and sets the stage for the occupation of the country’sterritories. As another issue, China agreed to withdraw its boatsfrom the Scarborough Shoal lagoon, where China and the Philippineshad a military standoff two months ago. However, China did not honorits own agreement, and is stationing 23 boats and ships inside thelagoon. Philippines Star

Japan / China tensions rise over disputed islands in the East China Sea

China is also claiming sovereignty over islands in the East China Sea.The islands, known as Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyu by theChinese, are claimed by Japan. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodasaid on Saturday that he’s considering a plan to nationalize theislands to strength Japan’s control over them. Saying that theislands that are “undisputedly part of Japan’s inherent territory byhistorical evidence and international law,” he proposed purchasingthem from their private Japanese owners, a move that’s certain toraise nationalistic fervor in China. AP

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