China Responds to Trumps Provocations by Flying Nuclear Bomber Over South China Sea

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Donald Trump is still more than a month away from assuming the Oval Office, but he’s already managed to inflame diplomatic tensions with the world’s second-greatest power.

First, the president-elect broke with nearly four decades of precedent by accepting a phone call from the president of Taiwan. Since 1979, a cornerstone of U.S.-Sino relations has been America’s acceptance of the “One China Policy” — a doctrine that prohibits the recognition of Taiwan as an independent state. By directly communicating with (the pro-independence) president of the island, Trump signaled his disrespect for that policy.

Which is a big deal. Preventing Taiwan from achieving internationally recognized independence is one of the top priorities of Chinese foreign policy — one that its military is prepared to go to war over.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-provokes-china-into-show-of-force-in-south-china-sea.html

Gee, what could go wrong ?

[etherealtruth]

1. Well, of course they did:-( tRump has no idea this is a game he is not smart enough to play. n/t

[Jim__]

2. I guess China is not impressed with carnival barker Trump.

Unfortunately, Trump has no understanding.

[dumbcat]

3. Not sure why that is significant?

China can fly it's bombers over the South China Sea anytime they want. And they have. So what? We can also fly bombers (and recon planes) over the SCS anytime we want. International waters and airspace. As long as no one violates sovereign airspace who cares?

[LanternWaste]

4. There is an established protocol of military unit maneuvers.

There is an established protocol of military unit maneuvers for military purposes. Within those protocols yes-- any one nation is free to exercise its power projection. Outside of those protocols (as is this instance), it becomes international diplomatic language.

This may be why many (other than yourself and your learned reasons) care: as it is an emphatic statement. And while even a small statement that seems to be benign can result in recessions of human rights, trade, travel, etc. A statement this severe (this is an accurate, albeit small illustration of gunboat diplomacy) can have immediate consequences on markets, et. al.

Asking "who cares?" is as if one said "so what?" after the Congress of Vienna or the Camp David Accord.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. Precisely

I am sure the United States would notice if Chinese bombers were flying twelve and one half miles off the Malibu coast.

[dumbcat]

10. I am quite familiar with those protocols

as I used to work with and schedule Rivet Joint flights over the area when I worked in the EOB section at the CINCPAC Theatre Intel Center. Yes, it's nice to have scheduled flights and let the other side know what we are doing, but we would schedule unannounced flights often when we had a rush intel request, and also not to let the other side think that we wouldn't exercise our rights of free travel when we felt the need.

Back even further in "the day" I used to track the Russian Bear bomber intel aircraft loitering off the coast at Monterey Bay when we were conducting certain tests. They usually didn't tell us either.

It's really not that big of a deal. I suspect that Trump, being Trump, will probably be using some louder "language" to the Chinese and the Russians. It's going to be really interesting for old commo/intel folks like me.

[Vermijelli]

5. China also doesn't like it when

We do freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Seas, when we meet with the Dalai Lama, when we criticize their human rights record, etc. But these things should not stop just because it will be Trump doing it after 1/20/17.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. Did you just join our august site to let us know that?

And while I have you here I have a question. Senator Majority Leader McConnell just said "Russia is not our friend." Do you agree or disagree?

I am trying to better understand the thinking of Trumpets.


Thank you in advance.

[Vermijelli]

9. Obviously they aren't our friends

Ironically it wasn't very popular here in 2012 to think that Russia was a greater threat than Al Qaeda because of who was saying it: Mittens Rmoney. Well now, in addition to Ukraine and Syria, they've fucked up our election in given us 4 years of Dump.

Should FAN patrols stop after 1/20/17?

[roamer65]

11. Just wait...they probably will drop one in the South China Sea as a "test".