China's Aggression

China's defence minister has defended sailing a warship across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the Taiwan Strait, telling a gathering of some of the world's top defence officials in Singapore that such so-called "freedom of navigation" patrols are a provocation to China.

In his first international public address since becoming defence minister in March, General Li Shangfu told the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday that China doesn't have any problems with "innocent passage" but that "we must prevent attempts that try to use those freedom of navigation (patrols), that innocent passage, to exercise hegemony of navigation".

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That same day, a US guided-missile destroyer and a Canadian frigate were intercepted by a Chinese warship as they transited the strait between the self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, and mainland China.   The Chinese vessel overtook the American ship and then veered across its bow at a distance of about 140 metres in an "unsafe manner", according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.

Additionally, the US has said a Chinese J-16 fighter jet late last month "performed an unnecessarily aggressive manoeuvre" while intercepting a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, flying directly in front of the plane's nose.  Those and previous incidents have raised concerns of a possible accident occurring that could lead to an escalation between the two nations at a time when tensions are already high.
Li suggested the US and its allies had created the danger, and should instead focus on taking "good care of your own territorial airspace and waters".

"The best way is for the countries, especially the naval vessels and fighter jets of countries, not to do closing actions around other countries' territories," he said through an interpreter. "What's the point of going there? In China we always say, 'Mind your own business'."

Full story at the link   ...   https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-china-news-beijing-accuses-usa-of-provocation-after-near-collision-of-warships/a603eebb-fb4a-43ff-8575-67f92b1945c0

Touchy touchy!



Should have just blasted it.  It's going to happen sooner or later anyway.

Will read the entire later, but right off? Keep poking the Bear. See how that turns out for you. Hopefully, China's fools will wait a year or two. (2024+)

From the article:

Li said that "China is open to communications between our two countries and also between our two militaries", but without mentioning the sanctions, said exchanges had to be "based on mutual respect".

~snip!~

"History has proven time and again that both China and the United States will benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation," he said.
"China seeks to develop a new type of major-country relationship with the United States. As for the US side, it needs to act with sincerity, match its words with deeds, and take concrete actions together with China to stabilise the relations and prevent further deterioration," Li said.

IOW, if the U.S. concedes to everything China wants, all will be well.

In as a polite response as I can muster...