US warships head for South China Sea after standoff

nice

tick tick tick tick tick

And across the globe the pieces are being put into play.

doom doom yah

wow.

unexpected and alarming. not sure now is the best time for a pissing match...

pin it!

I wonder what it is that China is so afraid the US will uncover?

Holy crap...

probably the same thing the US would be afraid of if chinese military ships were in it's territorial waters

this caught me totally off guard, i agree


same with the talk of sending troops to our southern border, i knew it was coming ,, but....... wtf is going on?

but the waters are "international"

just reading the script, i don't know if they are or aren't

If the military planners' nightmare scenario of a superpower war in Asia were ever to come true, the South China Sea might very well be where it all starts.


[link to www.timesonline.co.uk]

:anger:

the chinese claim the waters are their exclusive "economic zone" which is a fair statement that doesn't change a damn thing...

Definition
The World's EEZs, shown as a white extension of land territory

Generally a state's EEZ extends to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km) out from its coast. The exception to this rule occurs when EEZs would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than 400 nautical miles (740 km) apart. When an overlap occurs, it is up to the states to delineate the actual boundary.[1] Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the most proximate state.[2]

The Exclusive Economic Zone starts at the coastal baseline and extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) out into the sea, perpendicular to the baseline. Thus, the EEZ overlaps both the contiguous zone and territorial waters.[3] States also have rights to the seabed of the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles (650 km) from the coast, where this extends beyond the EEZ, but this does not form part of their EEZ.

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

The control of the oceans is currently regulated by the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention that went into effect on November 16, 1994. This law defines oceanic jurisdiction for all nations. It establishes the principle of a 200-nautical-mile limit on a nation's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) whereby a nation controls the undersea resources, primarily fishing and seabed mining, for a distance of 200 nautical miles from its shore...

Prior to the 19th century, a nation's jurisdiction over the sea adjacent to its coastline was largely determined by the individual country's own criteria. This was based upon the concept of "effective occupation" or what a nation was capable of enforcing with the military resources at its disposal. The zone of control was determined by the distance that a cannon ball could be fired. Three nautical miles was the generally agreed distance, although that is a bit too far. Most 19th century cannons would do very well if they could reach a mile with any degree of accuracy. The old 3-mile limit is omitted from the chart above as it was generally replaced in 1967 by the 12-mile limit. Legal jurisdiction applies in relation to customs affairs, health concerns, and national security. The territorial water lying within the 12-mile limit is considered to be sovereign territory of the controlling nation, covered by the same legalities that apply to land. The primary exception is that all foreign ships are to be granted the "right of innocent passage." All ships, however, must be exposed and flying their nation's flag; no submerged vessels.

Military affairs are, for the most part, directly tied to a nation's daily concerns with its economic activities and in support of its economic security. The protection of ports, trade goods, and transportation services are of paramount importance. A maritime nation's economy also includes the fishing grounds of the shallow waters above the continental shelf along the coast. The development of undersea technologies with respect to seabed petroleum and mineral resources and the increased demands for seafood have made it necessary to update the laws governing maritime space. Many nations that border on the oceans of the world do not have the financial resources or military power to constantly watch over their adjacent sea. The Law of the Sea Convention of 1982 provides for a global understanding of what is considered to be a reasonable jurisdiction of the sea. Accordingly, all nations are held to a uniform standard of behavior that is universally agreed upon. The enforcement of this law then falls upon all international members who might bring their combined influence to bear on any violators.

[link to geography.about.com]

Oh! That doesn't sound promising!

I wonder what the REAL reason is...could it be the money factor?

maybe china had something aimed at the space station, could explain the real reason the shuttle did not launch.

Nothing is gonna happen.

It's called gunboat diplomacy.

i heard another term once


pearl harbor

Wow!!! More hope and change courtesy of Obama!!! Just wish I had voted for him...not.

Would something like this Lead to a war between China and the united states? If so.. than the dream I had last year of China attacking the united states is about to come to pass :(

China never really poked at the US before. Now soon as an African/American is president China is going below the belt line with the US.

China can't attack the United States.

forcing down our plane in 2001 and holding the crew hostage until an apology was issued doesn't qualify?

bullshit

they could certainly make our lives very difficult, and they have troops stationed all around us, f*ck, they have us surrounded, and our troops are halfway around the world!

oh that little misunderstanding?



hopefully nothing will come of this, but i am curious what the rest of the world is thinking right now?

These are disputed waters. American knew they were disputed waters, and we went into them anyway.

We wouldn't do such a thing for no reason. Either it is a spy mission after something we think is pretty damn important to find out about, or we are picking a fight on purpose.

Ooops forgot about that