Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
China said it would not tolerate “any Taiwan independence incidents” and urged the United States not to provoke any further problems or interference in the region.
China’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier, via Reuters.
This latest incident reported by Reuters involved the “Chinese carrier ship passed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, tailed by U.S. and Japanese ships.”
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met in Bangkok where they are attending a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other countries.
Wei is reported to have told Esper that China is determined to maintain “peace and stability in the South China Sea and demands the US stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and do not provoke and escalate tension in the South China Sea.” They also discussed the unrest in Hong Kong and a host of other security-related issues.
Chinese Defense Minister Wie Fenghe greets US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday, via the AP.
The day before, Esper had publicly accused Beijing of “increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives” in the region.
Esper acknowledged in a Tweet that the two discussed “how our two nations can continue a relationship focused on maintaining the international rules based system.”
Met w/China’s MinDef Wei Fenghe to discuss how our two nations can continue a relationship focused on maintaining the international rules based system we’ve known for 70 yrs. The US seeks a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific w/respect for national sovereignty & peaceful dispute resolution. pic.twitter.com/QqF6fmZhVV
— Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper (@EsperDoD) November 18, 2019
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a follow-up to the meeting:
“We (call on) the US side to stop intervening in the South China Sea and stop military provocation in the South China Sea.”
The US has routinely sent naval warships and aircraft to both the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait ostensibly to uphold that rules-based system. Concerning the new Chinese-made carrier conducting movements through the Taiwan Strait and into the South China Sea, a PLA Navy spokesman said it was “normal practice” for carriers that are in development to conduct such traverses and tests, and that “It is not aimed at any specific target and has nothing to do with the current situation.”
So, US carrier sailing through the Taiwan Straits, on the other side of the planet, good, the Chinese doing the same thing, except the Taiwan Straits is actually part of their own coastline, bad? As usual American Orwellian double speak.
The Chinese should just hold a fleet exercise off the coast of San Diego just to make the heads of US politicians explode. The resulting frothing at the mouth and outrage will be fun to watch.
Yeah…perhaps that is another possible option…
That is the plan for 2030. Right now the PLA is building its massive naval equipment for such power projection. China will remember this US provocation. How stupid from US strategists, why flex its muscles at the next World Power of the second half of the 21st century ? The US is teaching China how to bully its adversaries, and China will remember and bully back. Not today, but in the near future. Top 10 years from now and we will see some nice move of power projection from China.
China…if you sink one American boat that will send a clear message….that will make Yangeese Piss Off…
One aircraft carrier using some aircraft carrier missile, it will show the world how aircraft carriers are obsolete.
USN sailing around on FNOP just makes the U.S. look like it can’t do squat.
Can’t see what the point is? (not as if the PLAN has rammed them)
“…Esper acknowledged in a Tweet that the two discussed “how our two nations can continue a relationship focused on maintaining the international rules based system.”
That would be the rigged international rules based system used to control weaker states. The US follows them too – until they conflict with the Neocon Deep State’s latest scheme. Then the rules don’t apply anymore and the US declares itself exempt from punishment.
Reminds me how warm relations were between US & nazi Germany in 1930s, before start fighting with each other.
Esper accuses China of “increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives”. Hmmmm isn’t that what the US does constantly? Seems like it’s a case of do what we say not do what we do. A classic case of projection there if I ever saw one.