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China's Island-Building In Pictures
An anonymous reader writes: The South China Sea is just small enough to have high strategic value for military operations and just large enough to make territorial claims difficult. For over a year now, the world has been aware that China is using its vast resources to try and change that. Instead of fighting for claims on existing islands or arguing about how far their sovereignty should extend, they simply decided to build new islands. "The islands are too small to support large military units but will enable sustained Chinese air and sea patrols of the area. The United States has reported spotting Chinese mobile artillery vehicles in the region, and the islands could allow China to exercise more control over fishing in the region." The NY Times has a fascinating piece showing clear satellite imagery of the new islands, illustrating how a fleet a dredgers have dumped enormous amounts of sand on top of existing reefs. "Several reefs have been destroyed outright to serve as a foundation for new islands, and the process also causes extensive damage to the surrounding marine ecosystem." We can also see clear evidence of airstrips, cement plants, and other structures as the islands become capable of supporting them.
Who cares why china is building islands and increasing instability in an already unstable area? Let's give them another Olympics!!!!
to deflect from the horrific environmental damage they're doing.
Looking forward to the next war. Should make a killing.
That's China for you!
You mean they are Terra Forming the Earth? Creating islands in the ocean? Isn't that quite a feat considering the harsh ocean conditions? Maybe we can learn something that could be used for power generation instead of just leaping straight to jingoism?
The NYT article didn't really explain this bit: "The Chinese were relative latecomers to island building in the Spratly archipelago" So this tactic isn't new or unique to China.
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You get the 12 mile military and 200 mile fishing limits for your land per international law. However, this must be land above the water. You cannot find land under the surface, dump tons of dirt on it, and claim those rights, per same law.
This doesn't mean you can't create the islands, but you can't do the 12 mile/200 mile thing. China thinks it can.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
We have lots of bombe in our arsenal past their use by date and the last time we had a chance to dispose of them was Gulf War I. I think we should inform the Chinese we have decided to dispose of them in the South China Sea in conjunction with war games and to prepare within 72 hours to make sure they have no assets or personnel near the stated disposal site.
Just for safety of course.
Do they erode fairly quickly, requiring continuous replenishment of their fill or can they build them with good long-term stability?
Calling these things 'unsinkable aircraft carriers' shows just what a daft idea this is, militarily.
In a no-holds-barred fight, they have a HUGE bullseye painted on them, and will be easy to take out. The general idea of naval power is to project power, and being able to hide this capability in plain sight in a huge ocean is what makes a movable aircraft carrier a better idea. You wouldn't use one of these to fight an actual war.
Fixed fortifications are monuments to human stupidity. I could see this being like the Maginot Line or the Atlantic Wall.t
The only reason why they would do this, is so that they can call it sovereign territory, and to game international border rules to their own benefit.
That's what really worries me. Without prospects for marriage, what are billions of horny Chinamen going to do to vent their frustration?
You are all cows. Cows say . ! ! cows ! say the cows. YOU COWS!!
I know that there are all sorts of geopolitical angles to this, but I find I'm able to look past those and find the whole thing really cool. We can actually build new land out at sea, and then people live there. That's just cool. I started scrolling on google maps to find other reefs in international waters that could be built up into new islands, where I could fantasize about building my lawless compound of evil.
I'd develop enough of a ballistic missile capability to turn those islets back into coral reefs in a matter of days.
while Trump yammers about Mexico. I see so much about Trump in the news while this island building has been major activity for some time, all part of plan to "extend" territorial boundaries of China. Glad to know we got our priorities properly set.
mfwright@batnet.com
The funny point is that once you kill coral by dumping tons of sand on it, the island will not raise anymore with oceans. They are going to need a lot of sand to keep the island afloat.
My suspicion is that China's island-building brinkmanship is intended simply to stoke the fires of nationalism while the Chinese economy teeters on the verge of collapse. What better way to mis-direct the discontent at home than perceived enemies abroad (us against the world or at least our nearby neighbors)? That or the Party is making the landgrab while it still.
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to tell China what they can and can not do in their own turf, nor entitled to accuse anyone of sable-rattling, given your current and your past. Accept the fact that the world is changing, and that the only thing you will be able to control is your own borders, and if you start more wars and invasions, you will lose in the end. The world is waking up to the fact that it is YOU who is the real danger in this world, not the Russians, not the Chinese, and not the "terrorists".
...now that they're lifting the one-child-per-family law, they're expecting a huge population explosion! They're also leveling mountains to create more city space: http://www.newser.com/story/18... http://www.newser.com/story/18...
They are NOT building new islands... Rather they are building military infrastructures on existing islands that are center of ownership disputes.
If you read asian news... You'd see that China singly declares ownership of lots of islands in this ocean region... single handedly announced 30 days of no-fishing for all countries around the area... which caused lots of people to starve because they don't have the ability to stand up against Chinese Navy.
They have now deployed military presence and airports all over the ocean region... US is challenging their airspace ownership by moving both Navy and AirForce patrol into the region. They repeatedly got asked by the Chinese to leave as it was their airspace, but US replied simply "This is international airspace".
I'd like to see the Chinese having a ball big enough to open fire first....