China’s Defense Ministry issued a statement on Friday rejecting Pentagon accusations from earlier in the week, saying there had been no missile tests carried out in the South China Sea whatsoever.
The Pentagon made the claims earlier in the week, saying that they
believe China launched test missiles in disputed waters around the South
China Sea, near the Spratly Islands.
Chinese officials say there were operations in the area, but no missile
test fire. They said the operations were “routine drills,” and some live
fire was conducted as part of the drills in the area.
US officials say they are still analyzing data from the area, but that
they believe that China did launch some anti-ship missiles. That does
not necessarily make them test launches, however, and rather they might
just be firing them as part of the drills.
Either way, this is a continuation of US efforts to contest China’s
claims in the region. Several nations have maritime claims around the
South China Sea, and the US endorses everyone’s claims so long as they
overlap with China’s.
I think China will eventually declare their own version of the Monroe Doctrine. They will ban military vessels from the South China Sea. A few years down the road there will be another incident similar to the USS Pueblo (which is still in the custody of North Korea). The US Navy will have no survivable options. That will be the end of these foolish confrontations in their own back yard.
The US says China must not project its military into the South China Sea, and to enforce its diktat the US projects its military into the South China Sea.
America has a problem with China, China can actually respond with an Attack on the Pentagon itself. Now I seriously doubt that they would do so but the reality is the US cannot be sure they will not. However we should be clear that if the US decides to attack Iran, there is a very high likelihood that China would consider an Attack on Taiwan would be prudent, the US would have serious problems with TWO major naval theatres at once as well as the minor theatres.
It is the South CHINA Sea, in other words, not the business of the war criminals in the 5-sided monstrosity on the Potomac.