China warns US against provocations following B-52 flyby, Warship FONOPS
Military Times reports that China criticized the U.S. on Wednesday after a fly-by of two B-52 bombers by the Chinese-held Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, during a period of escalating words and demonstrations of military might from the two major Pacific powers.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned the U.S. against “hyping up militarization and stirring up trouble,” while promising that China would do whatever was necessary to defend its sovereignty.
The U.S. “doing whatever they want is risky and China will not be threatened by any military warships,” Hua told reporters at a daily briefing in Beijing.
The fly-by of the shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012, came after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Beijing of “intimidation and coercion” in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entirety of the south China Sea — a resource-rich area that also has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes — despite ownership claims from neighboring countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Speaking at a summit of top security officials in Singapore last weekend, Mattis said China has deployed anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles and landed nuclear capable bombers on the disputed islands. He vowed that the Indo-Pacific would remain a “priority theater” for U.S. forces.
China announced it had dispatched warships and aircraft to drive away two U.S. Navy vessels sailing close to Chinese holdings in the Paracel Island chain last Sunday, where China recently revealed it had landed strategic bombers on an airstrip for the first time. The two ships, the destroyer USS Higgins and the cruiser USS Antietam, were engaged in Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) to dispute China’s claims of sovereignty in the area.
The Chinese bombers landing on the Paracel Islands escalated regional tensions, and resulted in the Pentagon withdrawing its invitation for China to participate in multinational naval exercises near Hawaii, in order to protest China’s military moves in the South China Sea.
Seems the Chinese still haven’t got the hint, so a couple BUFFs* were dispatched to remind them the U.S. does not recognize their illegal territorial claims, and is not happy with nuclear capable bombers on the islands. We’ll have wait to see what, if any, effect it will have.
*Big, Ugly, Fat, err, Fellows.
China:
凸(´0´)凸
US:
┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐
China:
＼(>o<)ノ
US:
ಠ_ಠ
China:
o(｀□´)○
US:
┌∩┐(ಠ_ಠ)┌∩┐
etc…..
Poking the Panda
Got buzzed by a BUFF (a long time ago)while in an old range tower a Fort Drum. The size off a barn, low level and fast. That tower was rocking like a porta potty at Fort Benning.
Hey China, FU.
They antagonize the region and just unilaterally build bases on disputed territory, but we’re the bad just for exercising FONOPS? If only our media didn’t believe every lie and bluster from communists.
then china gets all nervous and antsy because of a stinking flyover….GROW UP!!
The media is awash in closet communists, so of course they would bend this news in favor of the Chinese being offended.
How about this instead: Since many nations have territorial claims in the South China Sea, someone hold Xi QinPing’s feet to the fire and tell him to back off…NOW.
This isn’t a scratch yours and you scratch mine gig, you know, nor is it our first prom dance.
Tisa moka boombuya tisa moka boom, I went to Chinatown town way back in old Hong Kong too buy some egg foo yong when I heard this song- Tisa moka umbuya tisa moka boom. (Five Keys)
And who has better range and capabilities, the BUFFs and B-2’s out of Andersen, or a couple of bad Soviet copies off a coral patch in BFE?
And oh yeah, don’t forget all the submarines, etc., perfectly capable of dropping several dozen Tomahawks on said coral reef.
And points further west.
It begs the question, how long has China been suicidal?
Screw you China.
Jump, bitches.
What year was it that the USAF spook plane was pressured to land by the Chinese?
Found it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident
They need to pay for this and 1950.
IMHO.
Did they ever put these stickers on the P-3s to help the PLAAF pilots?
https://www.navycthistory.com/ep-3_hainan_dirsup_intro.html
A Navy EP-3 Aries, not Air Force, and it made an emergency landing on Hainan Island after a mid-air collision caused by a Chinese J-8 fighter.
Astounding airmanship by the flight crew to safely land that bird, but a *cough* disappointing performance by the crew in the back of the bus in carrying out the emergency destruction checklist. That’s about all I can say outside a SCIF.
I flew on that plane many, many times. I HATED it. When it took off, it felt like it was flying sideways!!! The first time that happened, it scared the fuck out of me! Thought we were going down.
The pilots claimed that that plane had been a static display. “No shit!”
I’m just hoping that the Chinese learned from watching the USSR during the Cold War about the game of brinkmanship…..
This could get really ugly really fast…
I personally buy a couple thousand dollars of stuff directly from China and I have met a ton of them in my history of working for Uber.
They all like America and are happy to be able to come here without all kinds of restrictions on their movements like they get in other countries, including China.
So I continue to pray for the leaders of both countries. It is a very complicated relationship we have with them.
Here’s to the best outcome for all involved.
Our economies are so intertwined that it’d be hard to come to war. I think their bluster and puffed chest peacocking about is to intimidate everyone else in Asia.
Since we are so tied to cheap Chinese products and raw materials, China could get away with a lot of shit and we’d just attack with words. About the only thing that’d lead immediately to a shooting war is if they attack Taiwan.
You are aware that in 1940, Japan’s largest overseas trading partner was – yep, you guessed it – the US?
Tell china to STFU or we will stop walmart from making them filthy rich! lol
we need to defend out rights in the South China Sea…vigorously.
A good start would be several multi-national naval exercise, making a point of operating right by the new “islands.”
Oh, and forget to invite China.
We need to poke these fuckers at every opportunity. Their 9 line (8 line?) claim to the South China Sea is bullshit.
China is the USA’s #1 supplier of goods. Why would we have a war with them?