Chinese ships mess with American ship off Chinese coast.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Obama Administration Protests South China Sea Incident With China (Updated Again)

 

A little incident has occurred in the South China Sea between the US Navy and the PLA Navy. I bet the AP writer had fun writing this article, because we have a protest by the Obama administration and Chinese sailors in underwear.

 

The Pentagon says Chinese ships shadowed and maneuvered dangerously close to a U.S. Navy vessel in what appeared to be an effort to harass the American crew.

 

The Obama administration is protesting to the Chinese government. The protest will be delivered to Beijing's military attache on Monday.

 

The Defense Department said in a statement that a Chinese intelligence ship and several others surrounded the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed vessel with a civilian merchant marine crew. The U.S. vessel was conducting ocean surveys Sunday in international waters in the South China Sea.

 

The statement said the Navy sprayed one ship with water from fire hoses to force it away and the Chinese crew members stripped to their underwear and continued closing within 25 feet.

 

 

http://informationdissemination.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-administration-protests-south.html

 

—On Saturday, a Chinese intelligence collection ship challenged USNS Impeccable over bridge-to-bridge radio, calling her operations illegal and directing Impeccable to leave the area or "suffer the consequences."

 

This could get interesting, Obama has already accused China of Currency manipulation, maybe China isn't taking America's agression anymore?

[noonsun]

China isn't really America's hugest fan.

 

However I would be shocked if this was an actual attempt at violence or something. China isn't ruled by morons.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

China isn't really America's hugest fan.

 

Of course not, who is? But I think we'll see more problems as Obama takes a anti-China stand while Clinton begs them to buy our bonds....

 

China is starting the long process of decoupling itself from America as it should. Why should the CHinese slave away to finance stupid credit in America?

[noonsun]

Actually a lot of countries, while not precisely "huge fans," do associate with and evidently would stand by America if/when the next World War occurs. The reason China isn't America's hugest fan is because they are a (supposedly) communist nation. But they wouldn't fight the US because we buy all our shit from them and they probably would have even more of an economic meltdown than the world is currently having without us. It's a pretty tenuous relationship (like most international interactions.)

[Matter-Eater Lad]

China isn't communist anymore, just in name. Hell America is more communist now days. I read an article by a Chinese politician who knew more about the free market then our president does!

 

China would never risk a war with the US or any nation, I know this.

[Cobalt]

Sounds very much like an intimidation attempt to me.

[chuck kottke]

"A Chinese Intelligence ship and several others surrounded the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed vessel with a civilian merchant marine crew"

Well, that hardly sounds intelligent to me! 25 feet - that's pretty close, and not too smart. And they mooned them?:laugh3:

A ship conduction research for ocean surveys - maybe the Chinese government doesn't want the world to know how polluted the ocean is getting? Hmm.. sounds just plain strange to me. With the government of China, I think there's a fair amount of room to go yet in transitioning from a closed society to an open society. Not that we haven't moved into Orwellian territory in ways here in the US, but even with all the spying, there's little that's off limits even on the net. (or NYET, as they say in mother Russia.):P

[Cobalt]

Either that or the Chinese ships were wondering what the hell that ship was doing. Good on China for not taking America's crap. Yay!

[chuck kottke]

:rolleyes:Or, it might be a Qadaffi thing, where they think they own the ocean wayyy out, like 100's of miles from their coast line. China's got a little of the land-grab mentality going, with Tibet and elsewhere.. Wait till they try and seize Australia!:P

[Cobalt]

Well at least China knows what they're doing in terms of management of their country. They're doing it RIGHT and are successfully expanding.

[chuck kottke]

Yes Emperor Cobalt! Soon, you too will be part of Ming's Dynasty!!:laugh3:

Conquest is over-rated. I'd go for peaceful harmony, and the brotherhood & sisterhood of all mankind. What one gains through aggression, one looses through good will.

 

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Yes Emperor Cobalt! Soon, you too will be part of Ming's Dynasty!!:laugh3:

Conquest is over-rated. I'd go for peaceful harmony, and the brotherhood & sisterhood of all mankind. What one gains through aggression, one looses through good will.

 

 

Conquest? They were close to China, the US ship was thousands of miles away from it's homeland interfering with other nations....No one should be mad at the Chinese in this case. I could understand if they were off the Coast of America doing this.....but its not even close. America's the one at every turn seizes up every bit of land it can or find some new reason to interfere with another country.

 

Maybe we wouldn't be as broke as we are if we didn't try to run the whole damn world.

[Cobalt]

Exactly, this is in international waters but still close to Chinese waters.

 

What were they doing conducting ocean surveys there anyway? It's not their goddamn ocean, they shouldn't be interfering, no wonder why China gets all angry and has their sailors strip to their underwear to hassle them. And then you get the Obama Administration saying "PLZ STOP".

[RICK8]

I don't know what they think this will achieve,certainly nothing positive....

[Cobalt]

Well, they were trying to get America to back off, seeing as America seems to be stupidly and continously poking around everywhere. Not sure why they'd think of course that America would TAKE THE HINT and gtfo, as seen by the "PLZ STOP" response.

[chuck kottke]

International waters are international waters. It's all our ocean - the Chinese, the Australians, the Americans, the Germans, the Zimbabweans.. But my comment on aggression goes for the US as well as the Chinese - neither aggression is good or warranted.

But seriously - mooning a vessel - would anyone do anything but laugh at that??:laugh3: "naked aggression!":P

[chuck kottke]

International waters are international waters. It's all our ocean - the Chinese, the Australians, the Americans, the Germans, the Zimbabweans.. But my comment on aggression goes for the US as well as the Chinese - neither aggression is good or warranted.

But seriously - mooning a vessel - would anyone do anything but laugh at that??:laugh3: "naked aggression!":P

[Matter-Eater Lad]

International waters are international waters. It's all our ocean - the Chinese, the Australians, the Americans, the Germans, the Zimbabweans.. But my comment on aggression goes for the US as well as the Chinese - neither aggression is good or warranted.

But seriously - mooning a vessel - would anyone do anything but laugh at that??:laugh3: "naked aggression!":P

 

That doesn't matter when they're close to their country spying.

[noonsun]

O.o waiit, where did spying come into this?

 

Assuming they weren't twenty miles away from China, these WERE international waters. The Law of the Sea is that international waters... well, they don't belong to any nation. All it was was a little brush between two countries. It could well have just been showing off a little on China's part.

 

And have you guys paid attention to the fact that this was an UNARMED VESSEL with a CIVILIAN MERCHANT crew?? Why would a Navy ship try to harras something like this? Unless they're just showing off their guns, or something.

 

As to the question "why would the U.S. do ocean surveys near China?" there are dozens of reasons (most of them are peaceful science-related ones.) Again, international waters. China is obvoiusly just reminding the U.S. that they could probably fight them if they wanted to. That's international politics for you.

[Cobalt]

It was close to the Chinese coast. Close to CHINESE WATERS. The US were doing ocean tests in international waters RIGHT NEAR Chinese waters, this is clear because there were so many Chinese ships. What don't you get? It sounds like a bit of spying.

[noonsun]

But I'm saying leaping to conclusions is bad. If it was spying, shame on them, but if it wasn't a bunch of civilian merchants probably got the shit scared out of them for no reason.

 

Although when you put it that way, spying/vs scaring some civilians sounds pretty reasonable. :rolleyes: I mean, you have a point, but seriously, who would be stupid enough to spy in a big humungous ship like that?

 

EDIT: by the way I'm not trying to be an American over-patriotic prick or anything. That's just what it seems like to me.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

The report I read said they were spying. Trying to track subs or something of that nature.

[Cobalt]

^ Tracking subs = spying. China wouldn't do something like this without a good reason.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

What scares me if one idiot jumps the gun and a shot is fired on one of the sides. What if someone makes a mistake or goes to far without consent from their superior and causes and actual fight? It would only take one moron to start a huge international incident.

[Cobalt]

Yeah, and China would be the victor. Guess they're just telling America to watch the ground they walk on, lest it become weak and they plod on it heavily like always.