U.S. Carriers Sail in Western Pacific, Hoping China Takes Notice

[jpak]

Source: New York Times

BEIJING — In a show of strength before an international court’s ruling on China’s claims in the South China Sea, the United States Navy sent two aircraft carriers and their accompanying ships on training drills in the western Pacific Ocean on Saturday.

The carriers John C. Stennis and Ronald Reagan sailed close together in the Philippine Sea as part of air defense and sea surveillance operations that involved 12,000 sailors, 140 aircraft and six smaller warships, the United States Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said in a statement.

“We must take advantage of these opportunities to practice war-fighting techniques that are required to prevail in modern naval operations,” Rear Adm. John D. Alexander said in a statement.

The operations occurred on the eastern side of the Philippines, in a body of water that is not adjacent to the South China Sea but is close, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet said. China seeks to dominate the western Pacific Ocean as part of its long-term strategy, American strategists say.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/world/asia/us-carriers-sail-in-western-pacific-hoping-china-takes-notice.html?_r=0

[jtuck004]

1. There's that word again...

"opportunities"

You can sure screw over a lot of people with that one.

[ManiacJoe]

3. Seems like the correct word.

It is not often that you get two carriers together like that.

[PoliticAverse]

2. "Hoping China Takes Notice" - aircraft carriers are rather big, I'm sure they will. n/t

[Geronimoe]

4. Because we did so well in Iraq and Afghanistan

[Calista241]

14. Our military might, which was displayed in Iraq and Afghanistan

was undeniable. The fact that those countries are failing now, is not an indictment of our military, but rather our political resolve and ineptness.

Throughout most of history, conquered nations are occupied and then assimilated into the conquering country. The fact that we haven't done that in these cases, reflects "modern" sensibilities.

[Midnight Writer]

5. Hmmm. What if China sent two aircraft carriers in to the Gulf Of Mexico?

Would we consider that to be, maybe, I don't know, some kind of provocation?

Doesn't our Monroe Doctrine grant the USA domination over our entire hemisphere as part of our long term strategy?

Just asking?

[ManiacJoe]

7. International waters are international waters.

China has every right to do it.

Since carriers won't fit through the Panama Canal, it's a long sail around South America.

[hack89]

9. No, we would not

But then, we are not making illegal claims of other countries territorial waters.

[Feeling the Bern]

13. China is claiming an entire international waterway as their property, as well as islands they claim

they occupied 1,000 years ago, then mysteriously abandoned for no reason.

Those two island chains are, geographically, closer to Vietnam and Philippines respectively.

Now, here is the real reason this is happening. The Chinese economy is in free fall. The farms just failed (produce and pork prices are through the roof), inflation is insanely high and the best way to distract and uneducated, brainwashed population is to ramp up the drums of war, which they have done against Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia over these rocks in the South China Sea. Oh, and also blame foreigners for the problems and make it twice or three times as hard for foreigners to come, as well as making the ones already there feel as unwanted and unwelcome as possible (welcome to my life with my Chinese wife in China).

Xi Jinping will go down as one of the worst leaders in recent Chinese history. He's pretty much returned Mao era restrictions and attitudes, as well as increased Han Chinese violence in Xinjiang and Xizang.

[oneshooter]

15. China AFAIK has no aircraft carriers.

[McKim]

6. Gotta Have More Wars

These people are so sick. They are taunting China to try to start a war. How stupid is that!

[ManiacJoe]

8. About as stupid as China building islands where they should not be.

[metalbot]

10. I think you might have that a little bit backwards

China is essentially claiming maritime rights in big portions of international shipping lanes.

The US government does do militarily provocative things, but this isn't one of them.

[Odin2005]

11. China is the agressor, here.

They are stealing the territorial waters of our allies.

[Odin2005]

12. I see the Hate-America-Firsters have found this thread.

I guess China stealing other countries' territorial waters is OK with them. Not surprising that those same people tend to be the ones supporting Russia's stealing of Ukrainian territory...

[sofa king]

16. Oh look, Ronald Reagan touching off another stupid war!

Just wait until the USS George W. Bush launches, and it starts half a dozen wars we can't win before sinking itself.