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The clouds of war are gathering
dangerously above the Asia-Pacific and Washington's "hawks"
are responsible for this. Numerous reports show that the US are
trying to open a new front in the region, as they see China
threatening their global domination.
The Ukraine crisis, the
anti-missile system in Eastern Europe and the relocation of a large
part of the US naval forces to the Asia-Pacific are only a few
indications showing that the US neocon strategy is to surround and
break the Sino-Russian bloc, attempting to destroy its rapid rise in
the military level and its increasing independency in the economic
level.
From the World Socialist Website:
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In
the face of mounting American pressure and provocations in the
South China Sea, the Chinese government announced yesterday that
it had lodged an official complaint over a highly publicised
surveillance flight close to Chinese-claimed territory and urged
the US to back off. Washington’s extraordinarily reckless
actions are threatening to plunge the Asia Pacific and the entire
world into conflict. From a media campaign condemning Chinese land
reclamation in the South China Sea, the US has moved to military
challenges. While last week’s reconnaissance flight did not
breach China’s 12-mile territorial limit, the Pentagon is
preparing plans to do just that under the pretext of defending
'freedom of navigation.'
The
US has deliberately placed the entire region on a knife edge,
posing a real and imminent danger of war. An accident or
miscalculation by US or Chinese military aircraft or warships in
the South China Sea could set in train a series of actions and
reactions that would bring the two nuclear-armed powers to blows.
The
US has further heightened the risk of war by pushing other
claimants in the South China Sea, such as the Philippines and
Vietnam, to more assertively press their territorial demands
against China. It has also encouraged Japan to conduct its own
patrols in the region. All of these steps multiply the danger of
an incident, not necessarily immediately involving the United
States, precipitating a far broader conflict.
The
looming confrontation in the South China Sea has been long in
preparation. The Obama administration’s aggressive stance
towards China on every front—diplomatic, economic and
military—began in 2009 and was formalised in the “pivot to
Asia” in 2011. As part of the “pivot,” the US has engaged in
a comprehensive build-up and restructuring of its armed forces in
the Indo Pacific, focussed on fighting a war with China.
Washington
bitterly resented the decision by Britain in March to ignore its
advice and sign up to the China-backed Asia Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB). The move prompted a rush by other
countries to follow suit, undermining the monopoly position of
longstanding American-dominated institutions such as the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. US actions in the
South China Sea are, in part, a means of hitting back by
underscoring the military vulnerability of China.
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An analyst describes three
possible scenarios under which Washington and Beijing may draw
themselves into a direct conflict. From sputniknews:
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Peace
is hanging in the balance in the South China Sea region, Michael
Auslin noted, presenting three possible real-world scenarios under
which Washington and Beijing may draw themselves into a direct
conflict. Although Beijing has not set yet a formal air defense
identification zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea, it has
obviously laid down a 'redline' in the region, noted Michael
Auslin, a resident scholar and the director of Japan Studies at
the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), adding that the peace is
hanging in the balance in this part of the Asia Pacific region.
[...] The expert does not exclude the possibility of a mid-air
collision between Chinese and US fighters over the sea, such as
happened in 2001, when a US Navy plane collided with a Chinese
fighter jet. An accident could lead to a stand-off, the scholar
emphasized.
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Meanwhile, China appears to change
its defence doctrine. From China.org:
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China
issued its first white paper on military strategy on Tuesday,
stressing "active defense" and pledging closer
international security cooperation. The white paper, "China's
Military Strategy", issued by the State Council Information
Office, outlined a strategy unifying strategic defense and
operational and tactical offense. The nearly 9,000-word paper also
underscored "the principles of defense, self-defense and
post-emptive strikes", adding that China "will not
attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if
attacked".
The
paper goes on to highlight four "critical security domains",
including the ocean, outer space, cyberspace and nuclear force.
The PLA Navy will gradually shift its focus from a sole strategy
of "offshore waters defense" to a combined one of
"offshore waters defense and open seas protection". The
country will expedite the development of its "cyber force"
to tackle "grave security threats" online. China opposes
a space arms race and vowed to secure its space assets. The paper
also underscored that China will never enter into a nuclear arms
race and pledges to continue to contribute to world peace.
A
world war is unlikely in the foreseeable future and the
international situation is expected to remain generally peaceful,
the paper noted. However, it also warned of the outside threats of
hegemony, power politics and "neo-interventionism".
Small-scale wars, conflicts and crises are recurrent in some
regions. Therefore, the world still faces both immediate and
potential threats of localized wars, according to the white paper.
The
shift in the PLA Navy's focus to a combination of "offshore
waters defense and open seas protection" is essential as
China is facing rising challenges from the sea and the country is
more reliant on maritime resources and energy, said Yu Miao,
another AMS researcher. The traditional mentality that control of
the land is more important than control of the sea must be
abandoned, and great importance has to be attached to managing the
seas and oceans and protecting maritime rights and interests, said
the paper. The PLA Navy will enhance its capabilities for
strategic deterrence and counterattack, maritime maneuvers, joint
operations at sea, comprehensive defense and comprehensive
support.
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It would be worth to notice that
Japan has already changed recently its military doctrine for the
first time since WWII (updated-report-new-evidence),
the US declared that they are willing to defend Japan by any means
(us-ready-to-use-nuclear),
and, China expressed its concern over Japan's defence budget rise
(chinas-concern-about-japans).
Everything points to the fact that
Washington's hawks insist on playing dangerous games with
Russia-China, and warm up their war engines. The neocons stupidly
believe that they could prevent Sino-Russian retaliation in case they
decide a nuclear attack:
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Latest numerous indications show
that the US surround Russia, attempting to isolate the country
militarily, politically and economically. The support of neo-nazis
in Ukraine was aiming to drag Russia into an attrition war in East
Ukraine, for a start. Some analysts claim that Washington's
"hawks" prepare a nuclear "preventive" strike
against Russia because they believe that they can obviate Russian
or Chinese retaliation, using the anti-missile shield in East
Europe. Unfortunatelly, there are indications that this may be
possible. According to latest information, Washington proceeds in
actions to surround China as well. It is not accidental that these
revelations come after the recent big agreement between Russia and
China on the energy sector. According to some analysts, the US
transfer 60% of their naval forces to the Asian Pasific, while
they plan to build a similar "anti-missile" system in
the region.
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