Reply To: Philippines’ Contested Shoal

[Atlanta_n_Jeff]

None of this adds up.  The shoal is not of strategic importance in the South China Sea, Beijing has built up numerous outposts already without any of its neighbors contesting their action.  Given the amount of international goodwill and global commerce at stake, why would China risk it on a shoal that is basically out of the way?  In fact their actions are precipitating greater confrontation with the US.  And if enough countries complain to the UN, from Vietnam and Cambodia, to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the UN would not be able to respond, and action would default to the USA and UK plus any European country with ambitions in the region.  But predictably NO OTHER ASIAN COUNTRY HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT CHINA’S “IMPERIAL” CONDUCT BECAUSE THE SHOAL HAS VERY LITTLE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would even hazard that China is being tacitly asked to do this by the USA, as to acquire more strategic footholds in the region.  and our military seems to be in a big haste to compel Manila to offer them military bases.  Every other article on this issue never fails to highlight that despite the animosity and adversity, the USA remains a very important trading customer with China.  Is China being asked by the US to push this issue as a favor for all the American dollars that flow through their borders?  The Beijing regime is very sensitive to the issue of money from the West and economics that assures them higher development status than Japan. Is China pandering to their most important customer’s demands behind closed doors?  The entire thing feels fishy!