Question by Jack P: While public eyes focus on Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea is a naval war brewing?
ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON – Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as a U.S. nuclear supercarrier cruised in waters off the Southeast Asian nation’s coast — sending a message that China is not the region’s only big player.
The visit comes 35 years after the Vietnam War as Washington and Hanoi are cozying up in a number of areas, from negotiating a controversial deal to share civilian nuclear fuel and technology to agreeing that China needs to work with its neighbors to resolve territorial claims in the South China Sea.
China claims the entire sea and the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands over which it exercises complete sovereignty. But Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines also have staked claims on all or some of the territory, which straddles vital shipping lanes, important fishing grounds and is believed rich in oil and natural gas reserves.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100808/ap_on_re_as/as_vietnam_us_military_mates
There are huge oil reserves under the Spratly and Paracel islands and the basis for the Chinese claim [over the claims of Vietnam and the others] is military prowess and projected naval power. The claims of the others haven’t been resolves, so much as placed in abeyance out of helplessness.
Meanwhile, China owns a healthy piece of the US national debt which, if repudiated by the US because of war, might be more than enough to offset the cost of doing business [as well as throwing China into a state of economic chaos].
The Chinese claim to the South China Sea has been a thorn in the side to the entire region for a long while, and it’s become thornier as China gained economic and concurrent military strength. Nobody’s said much about it in any language, but maybe non-verbal communication says a lot?
Is the new best friend the US seems to be finding in Vietnam a whisper of possible resolution to all manner of problems keeping the US president awake nights?
Repenting Israel: The question refers to The South China Sea. The South China Sea is a long way from Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and Israel.
As it says in the Bible, “There’s more to heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” [paraphrased].
Thanks for the unrelated opinion, however.
John Trottier: Thanks for the unrelated opinion. Evidently CE doesn’t include any answerers who are able to read maps and locate the South China Sea and the proximity to the places you refer to other than China.
Thanks anyway.
Best answer:
Answer by Repenting Israeli
China, India, Russia do not want US military aggressions in their neighborhoods! North Korea and Iran are two more competent assistants of these three powers beside strange Pakistani nuclear machines!
In short USA and it’s master Israel are trapped! Their militaristic jingoism is bringing trouble for them.
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