#2 Vietnam is repor weighing or in negotiations to buy US military aircraft + top-of-the-line equipment.
ALL THINGS EQUAL, ONCE AGAIN IT COMES DOWN TO CHINA HAVING TO MAKE A STRATEGIC DECISION ON ITS GEOPOL AMBITIONS/AGENDA + ITS PERCEIVED "MANIFEST DESTINY".
CONTINUING NATIONAL MODERNIZATION, INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE VEE PEACEFUL TRADE; VERSUS ITS PERCEIVED "MANIFEST DESTINY" AS "POST-US", "INEVITABLE" FUTURE WORLD #1.
CHINA-N-ONLY-CHINA MUST DECIDE.
Iff China backs down now, it does so knowing that the above will become that much harder to achieve in future time as US Regional Allies likely grow Politically, Economically, + Militarily, etc. STRONGER.
ION SCS this AM ...
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PHILIPPINES TO ALLOW JAPAN TO USE ITS [Air, Naval] MILITARY BASES AGZ CHINESE AGGRESSION - TELEGRAPH.UK.
* SAME > PHILIPPINES DM [Voltaire Gazmin] "GRAVELY CONCERNED" OVER REPORT THAT CHINESE WARSHIP FIRED A WARNING SHOT [agz PH Fishing Boat] IN SOUTH CHINA SEA - ABC NEWS [Australia BBC].
* RELATED MARIANAS VARIETY > PHILIPPINES WANTS DEFENCE PACT FOR JAPANESE TROOPS.
* SAME > WHATS AT STAKE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA?
> Value = Credibility of US Treaty commitments or obligations wid Philippines + Other US Regional Allies.
> Credibility of US as a MilPol Ally.
> US AS Guarantor of Regional, World Peace.
OTOH 'TIS GREAT NEWs FOR ANTI-US US OWG GLOBALISTS + ALIGNED???
Russia, China, + Iran, Other? rise to MilPol or Geopol "Parity" wid the US = OWG Amerika, while the US = OWG AMerika itself unilaterally makes its present or current Superpower self "inferior" to same.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?
* YAHOO NEWS > [HuffPo] PHILIPINES RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA CRISIS.
Drums of war IN SCS andor East Asia getting louder-n-louder???
* JAPAN TIMES > LDP TO CRAFT BILL ON PROTECTING [30 ea.] REMOTE ISLANDS [Japanese] NEAR [China]BORDERS.
Japan putting up more barriers to China + PLA's desired future ALMIGHTY CENTCOM AKA TAIWAN. |
[Rooters] Vietnam is offering scores of patriotic citizens the holiday of a lifetime with a cruise to some of Asia's most hotly contested islands, in a move likely to stoke its simmering dispute with Beijing over South China Sea sovereignty.