Most of the foreign policy crises of Trump’s administration have been other countries threatening Trump and the US. So it’s nice that Trump is now returning the favor.
Trump’s to-do list, re: ‘dangerous foreign powers,’ is long – maybe the longest in history. North Korea, Syria, Russia, Iran, ISIS territory. And at least one more – a country that has already used its warplanes to threaten US troops.
But if China thinks that Trump is going to back down from a fight, they’ve just gotten a clear message – a US warship, sailing right up to China’s coast, practicing wartime maneuvers.
Love him or hate him, you have to hand it to Trump – he really knows how to send a message.
The Conservative Tribune reports:
A United States Navy warship sent a clear message of American determination this week by conducting drills close to the coastline of artificial islands China has constructed in the South China Sea, drawing a strong warning from the Chinese government.
Chinese leaders accused the USS Dewey of challenging the country by sailing within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island in the South China Sea.
Now, two quick words of explanation. Those ‘artificial islands’? They’re just what they sound like – man-made islands, usually built specifically for military purposes.
Here, too, they have another use – they give China an excuse to call the South China Sea ‘theirs.’ Which it isn’t. But boy, do the Chinese want it. And if building fake islands helps you claim someone else’s ocean, they’ll build fake islands.
The second word of explanation? China had this coming to them. Just a few days ago, Chinese warplanes diverted a US surveillance plane, forcing it off its flight path and back to its airfield.
And I’m willing to bet you can guess which sea that US surveillance plane was flying over.
Fact is, China was probably expecting some sort of US retaliation – you can’t just threaten US pilots and not expect some kind of response.
But this response is perfect. Because sailing in the South China Sea isn’t just something that irritates China – it also supports a lot of China’s enemies, at the same time.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all cite claims to that territory [in the South China Sea], and so it does not belong to any one country, a fact which the U.S. continues to emphasize.
Irritate China, and support US allies simultaneously. That’s a win-win.
Provided, of course, that we don’t go to war.
Source: Conservative Tribune
