U.S. stands with SE Asian countries against China pressure - Blinken

[webfact]

U.S. stands with SE Asian countries against China pressure - Blinken

 

Newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken removes his face mask as he arrives to hold his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Pool

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States rejects China's maritime claims in the South China Sea beyond what it is permitted under international law and stands with Southeast Asian countries resisting its pressure, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

 

Blinken made the remarks in a call with Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

 

"Secretary Blinken pledged to stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of PRC pressure," it said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

 

China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, which is also a major trade route. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

 

The United States has accused China of taking advantage of the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic to advance its presence in the South China Sea.

 

The State Department said Blinken, who took office this week in Democratic President Joe Biden's administration, "underscored that the United States rejects China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea to the extent they exceed the maritime zones that China is permitted to claim under international law."

 

U.S. relations with China deteriorated under former U.S. President Donald Trump over a variety of issues including the pandemic, Chinese policies in Hong Kong, Beijing's treatment of its Muslim minority and trade.

 

Two weeks ago, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and companies for alleged misdeeds in the South China Sea.

 

(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-28

 

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[Tug]

Good the Philippines have been a long time ally it’s good we stand shoulder to shoulder with them although I don’t think the Biden administration will be sucking up to Duarte like trump did lol

[John Drake]

53 minutes ago, webfact said:

U.S. stands with SE Asian countries against China pressure - Blinken

 

But how many of those SE Asian countries stand with the US?

[KarenBravo]

5 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

But how many of those SE Asian countries stand with the US?

 

Let's see.

Philippines.

Singapore.

Brunei.

Vietnam.

 

Malaysia and Indonesia seem a bit more non-aligned.

Myanmar and Cambodia are in the Chinese camp.

Not sure about Laos.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Let's see.

Philippines.

Singapore.

Brunei.

Vietnam.

 

Malaysia and Indonesia seem a bit more non-aligned.

Myanmar and Cambodia are in the Chinese camp.

Not sure about Laos.

 

Short list. And Philippines depends. Don't count on Vietnam either. That seems too easy. China controls their water tap, and many of the older communists still have fond feelings for China instead of the US. Laos btw is virtually Chinese territory. I read a couple of years ago that up to 800,000 Chinese had simply taken up residence (sorry, no link to provide). In a country of 7 million, you can see how that will go.

[KarenBravo]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

 

Short list. And Philippines depends. Don't count on Vietnam either. That seems too easy. China controls their water tap, and many of the older communists still have fond feelings for China instead of the US. Laos btw is virtually Chinese territory. I read a couple of years ago that up to 800,000 Chinese had simply taken up residence (sorry, no link to provide). In a country of 7 million, you can see how that will go.

 

The Vietnamese loathe the Chinese. They will stick with the US.

[pegman]

How do these man made islands compare to American territories in the West Pacific? 

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, KarenBravo said:

 

The Vietnamese loathe the Chinese. They will stick with the US.

 

Remember, you're not dealing with the veterans who in 1979 thumped the Chinese when they invaded. Like everyone else in the region, the Vietnamese are a lot softer than they used to be. Ho and Le Duan might have been willing to see 1000 of their people die for every single invader. Today? Hmmm.

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, pegman said:

How do these man made islands compare to American territories in the West Pacific? 

 

NMI, Midway, Baker, Howland, Johnston, and American Samoa are real places. Not manufactured islands. They're also far, far away from the SCS.

[Ireland32]

3 hours ago, Tug said:

Good the Philippines have been a long time ally it’s good we stand shoulder to shoulder with them although I don’t think the Biden administration will be sucking up to Duarte like trump did lol

Durty Duterte stands with China he’s a Sellout 

[Ireland32]

36 minutes ago, pegman said:

How do these man made islands compare to American territories in the West Pacific? 

Gee I don’t know maybe , you should work it out in your head , Territory’s = man made military islands !!!

[Ireland32]

2 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Let's see.

Philippines.

Singapore.

Brunei.

Vietnam.

 

Malaysia and Indonesia seem a bit more non-aligned.

Myanmar and Cambodia are in the Chinese camp.

Not sure about Laos.

Laos is Chinese 

[sscc]

3 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Let's see.

Philippines.

Singapore.

Brunei.

Vietnam.

 

Malaysia and Indonesia seem a bit more non-aligned.

Myanmar and Cambodia are in the Chinese camp.

Not sure about Laos.

 

 

Above opinion was yours. 

BTW,   Is it a deliberation that Thailand IS NOT Included in your list ?

 

 

Below opinion is mine. 

 

Very friendly to China :                                                            Cambodia, Laos 

Generally friendly to China :                                                   Malaysia, Myanmar  

Preference for neutrality with no inclination to either :     Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia 

Oscillating from time to time :                                               Philippines, Vietnam  

( Unknown to my knowledge )  :    Brunei 

 

 

[KarenBravo]

10 minutes ago, sscc said:

 

 

Above opinion was yours. 

BTW,   Is it a deliberation that Thailand IS NOT Included in your list ?

 

 

Below opinion is mine. 

 

Very friendly to China :                                                            Cambodia, Laos 

Generally friendly to China :                                                   Malaysia, Myanmar  

Preference for neutrality with no inclination to either :     Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia 

Oscillating from time to time :                                               Philippines, Vietnam  

( Unknown to my knowledge )  :    Brunei 

 

 

 

Believe it, or not, I totally forgot about it, even though I live here.

Thailand definitely USA. After all, nearly all their military equipment is imported from there (except a crappy, non-functional submarine and a French aircraft carrier). Many US troops do jungle training here plus joint military exercises like Cobra Gold.

[jesimps]

Blinken heck!

I'll get my coat.

[RichardColeman]

Pretty sure Thailand would side with China, if only for its tourism !

[PGSan]

4 hours ago, Tug said:

we stand shoulder to shoulder with them

Who is this “we”?

[pegman]

1 hour ago, Ireland32 said:

Gee I don’t know maybe , you should work it out in your head , Territory’s = man made military islands !!!

 The proximity of those territories to America make them less legitimate than the Chinese made islands. In both cases  they are projections of power. The Chinese will use those new islands the same as the Americans use aircraft carriers. If they were in the Gulf of Mexico then we would be talking apples to apples.

[Pattaya Spotter]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

"Secretary Blinken pledged to stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of PRC pressure," it said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

You mean like all the standing around President Obama did while China build up all the artificial islands and reefs through out the disputed area and put air bases, Coast Guard ports, and other military installations on them? 

[Eric Loh]

5 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

You mean like all the standing around President Obama did while China build up all the artificial islands and reefs through out the disputed area and put air bases, Coast Guard ports, and other military installations on them? 

Those artificial islands were built since 2015 and into Trump's Presidency. 

[GreasyFingers]

4 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

The Vietnamese loathe the Chinese. They will stick with the US.

But will the US stick with the communists when the chips are down?

[TKDfella]

Well, I suppose the rhetoric will go on as China 'edges' it way here and there. But it is very early days for Pres. Biden and we will have to wait and see just how tough he will be on this issue. At the 'end of the day' he is now the US Commander In Chief and despite what his advisers might say he is the one who will have to make the decision for either stronger measures or not, if the issue starts to get worse. Would the Chinese really go to war over this? Would the US (and UK) stay in the region to engage China?

[Isaan sailor]

At least Blinkin’s trying.  If China completely dominates SEAsia, we may not stay around, and TV would  need to change from English to Mandarin.

[Jeffr2]

15 hours ago, pegman said:

 The proximity of those territories to America make them less legitimate than the Chinese made islands. In both cases  they are projections of power. The Chinese will use those new islands the same as the Americans use aircraft carriers. If they were in the Gulf of Mexico then we would be talking apples to apples.

There's a long history with these natural territories.  And they can bag out any time they want.  It's up to them.

 

Impossible to compare this to the man made reefs that were uninhabited and pristine until China destroyed them...illegally.

 

Stunning you try and make this comparison.  Impossible.

[Jeffr2]

15 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

You mean like all the standing around President Obama did while China build up all the artificial islands and reefs through out the disputed area and put air bases, Coast Guard ports, and other military installations on them? 

Please show what Trump did to stop this?  I'll show what Obama did.  You're still posting misinformation....sad.

 

https://www.ft.com/content/c63264a4-47f1-11e6-8d68-72e9211e86ab

Obama forced Xi to back down over South China Sea dispute

 

Leaders worry about growing risk of confrontation

[Salerno]

16 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Please show what Trump did to stop this?

 

Quote

US Navy patrols near disputed features claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea hit a record high last year, newly released figures show, as the Trump administration ramped up its efforts to challenge China’s territorial claims in the contested waterway.

 

US Navy vessels sailed within 12 nautical miles of features claimed or occupied by China nine times in 2019, according to data released by the US Pacific Fleet – the highest number of so-called freedom of navigation patrols (FONOPs) since Beijing controversially began constructing artificial islands around disputed reefs in the waterway in 2014.

 

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3048967/us-freedom-navigation-patrols-south-china-sea-hit-record-high

 

 

I know you have a pathological hatred of him but don't let that skew the facts. Obama should have stopped them in their tracks (with allies).

Edited January 29, 2021 by Salerno

[Jeffr2]

27 minutes ago, Salerno said:

 

 

 

I know you have a pathological hatred of him but don't let that skew the facts. Obama should have stopped them in their tracks (with allies).

Agreed! But Obama did something.  And it caused Xi to pull back.  Yes, only a bit and more could have been done.

 

But what did Trump do?  I'm not aware of anything other than getting his daughter dozens of patents in record time after his first visit there with her in tow....

[Salerno]

Just now, Jeffr2 said:

But what did Trump do?

 

Stepped up the freedom of navigation operations and lost a trade war.

[Jeffr2]

8 minutes ago, Salerno said:

 

Stepped up the freedom of navigation operations and lost a trade war.

I got the trade war part, but did he really step up freedom of navigation operations?  Or was that done by the military.  I can't imagine Trump getting involved unless it was to call off the operations in an effort to help his businesses in China????

 

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/08/americas-freedom-of-navigation-operations-are-lost-at-sea/

 

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3048967/us-freedom-navigation-patrols-south-china-sea-hit-record-high

 

Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the operations, while insufficient, were “important to make credible the US claim that it will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows”.

Edited January 29, 2021 by Jeffr2

[Salerno]

10 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

I got the trade war part, but did he really step up freedom of navigation operations?  Or was that done by the military.

 

Given he was the Commander in Chief, he at least didn't stop them and, given his position, one would have to say he approved them.