China’s Island Fortifications: Challenge Internat’l Norms

On By Mary Anne
By Captain David Geaney, U.S. Air Force Captain who has had multiple assignments and deployments in the Middle East and the Pacific region. He has served as a panelist on the rise of China for the International Studies Association.

“While the world is combating the new coronavirus, COVID-19, China continues to fortify its islands in the South China Sea, with only muted response from the international community. Even the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel brought minimal reaction from the international community, through the Philippines (https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Philippines-sides-with-Vietnam-after-China-sinks-fishing-boat)and U.S. military have made statements against the incident.

Prior to COVID19, China’s “War Without Gunsmoke strategy had already (https://www.usni.org/press/books/chinas-maritime–gray-zone-operations resulted in the near-normalization of its South china Sea military buildup and its “nine dash line” claims. Since 2013 the “Great Wall of Sand” (so dubbed by former Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Harry Harris) has become even more formidable. Combined with Chinese disregard for a 2016 Hague ruling that invalidated Chinese nine-dash-line claims, it is obvious that China will continue to persist in its claims, as I detailed in a 2017 article for Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/29/could-the-chinese-communist-party-survive-dropping-south-china-sea-claims/

The nine dash line used by the Peoples Republic of China (and added to the map by them) for their claims of a major part of the South China Sea. The contested area includes the Paracel Islands, Spratley Islands, Protas Islands, the Maclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal. Added by Haurietas Aquas

Despite this, the United States, the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Nations states can make headway by quickly acting in concert to prevent further garrisoning of the islands claimed by China in the South China Sea.

The islands afford China bases from which it can intimidate ASEAN states: (Association of South East Asian Nations, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) into abandoning their claims or acquiescing to China’s demands. China’s paramilitary forces and fishing vessels use the island bases as hubs from which to harass and even sink commercial ships from ASEAN countries. A coordinated, international response is necessary to curtail the success of China’s Monroe-esque Doctrine throughout Asia. (Monroe Doctrine warned European nations that the U.S. would not tolerate puppet regimes 1823)

The UN has a vital role to play in ensuring that China adheres to international law and respects the sovereignty of other member states. Any country that does not uphold the law or support the international system should be pressured to do so by the UnN. , lest its rulings become irrelevant”

Aircraft Carrier, The Liaoning, is accompanied by frigates and submarines on April 12, 2018, conducting exercises in the South China Sea. (L Gang/ Xinha via AP)
Flag of ASEAN

It would be difficult to bring cohesion to the above looming assaults on South Asian states by China on this day of July 18, 2020 as the world contends with the Chinese Communist Party Virus Covid-19. This is the name which China approved of and so we use it. The entire world has been infected by something from atheist Communist China.

The clerical attempts to hide this apparition from the world have allowed the above story to go forward through the years since 1948. This was when Our Lady appeared in Lipa, Philippines as “Mary Mediatrix of All Grace” The messages of Mary to the seer were ordered to be burned by the clergy. One was kept by the seer, Teresita Castillo, and given to a priest. It was this:

“China’s dream is to invade the whole world. The Philippines is its’ favorite”1948

Indeed it seems that this is coming, or, has come, to pass.