National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said on Friday that the US is deploying Coast Guard ships to the western Pacific to counter China. O’Brien accused China of harassing vessels in the region, threatening sovereignty, and illegally fishing.
O’Brien said the Coast Guard “is strategically homeporting significantly enhanced Fast Response Cutters … in the western Pacific.” The cutters will conduct “maritime security missions” with US partners in the region who have limited offshore capabilities.
O’Brien said the Coast Guard plans to evaluate the possibility of basing cutters in American Samoa. “If the survey is favorable, the United States could further expand its presence in the South Pacific,” he said.
O’Brien described China’s activity in the region as “destabilizing and malign.” The advisor described the US as a “Pacific power” that promotes a “free and open Indo-Pacific region where like-minded nations uphold the international rules-based order.”
It’s not clear how far west the cutters will go, but O’Brien’s language suggests the South China Sea, where the US has involved itself in a maritime dispute between Beijing and several Southeast Asian Countries. The US regularly sails warships into the waters to counter China’s claims.
Earlier this week, the US, Japan, and Australia held joint naval exercises in the South China Sea. The week before, the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan entered the disputed waters for the third time this year.
When you consider the US is not a signatory to the Court that they claim China is disobeying the stink of US hypocrisy is one of Putridity! Why isn’t the US a signatory, the same way they are not a signatory of other treaties, they claim the US will be unfairly attacked by them!
I take it as an open invitation for China to send its coast guards to the bay of Mexico and the West Coast.
maybe a blockade of Guantanamo Bay, so it can be returned to the Cubans, considering that it is in fact Cuban Sovereign Territory
And China could deploy a battery or two of its DongFeng Missiles in Cuba too.
It was an Arbitration Court that all parties had to agree to get the matter arbitrated. China did not agree, therefore any ruling by the Court is null and void, as it did not conform to it’s own jurisdiction. China did not agree with the Philippines to have the matter decided by a Western-biased Court.
The Court had no jurisdiction to boot. It was only US procured OPINION, based on the one sided data it had on its disposal. The Court actually said so much.
Which never stopped US from calling it AWARD. The official spokespeople for corporate-driven US narrative called “mainstream” media — disseminates it dutifully.
The only time that corporate-government cartel has a fit of disapproval— is when Trump sets his foot outside the approved narrative.
And since Trump often uses that privilege to make himself look ridiculous — he has made the cartel look even reasonable.
We are forsaken for sure.
Boob bait for the Bubbas in fly over country.
good, , they should sail there ( SCS ) . Tough shit if the chinese dont like it. As long as its legal.
Why is it called the South China Sea?.
Just to piss off Trump?? Probably not as it surely precedes our Orange Blovator…
Hatred for Trump transcends time and space…
Right, and we should welcome Chinese navy to the Gulf of Mexico. Quid Pro Quo!
Is it — legal?
Which international law is US quoting in claiming these rights? Any convention that US is signatory to? Recognizing any court in maritime issues?
Right.
US mission is to piss-off the world (and/or start WW3), and it’s succeeding brilliantly.
The Chinese are a lot smarter than the Americans will ever be they are playing the long game US presidents come and go .
US Presidens may come and go, but the US has the Blob determining it’s permanent policies.
American Samoa is 30 miles from the International Date line that is Eastern Pacific (Samoa), so to say these operations will take place in the “Western Pacific” is by definition false.
What is international RULES BASED ORDER?
Anyone knows where can one find them?
Which international forum promulgated them?
Who agreed to them? Who ratified them?
At least when it comes to maritime issues, we know the governing convention — UN Convention on Laws on the Seas, or UNCLOS.
Then why would not US quote it explicitly — why invent some nebulous “rules based order’?
It is because US is among the minority that is not the signatory to the Convention.
As a non-signatory, US has no right to dispute anyone’s maritime rights. Has no standing in UNCLOS Court of Arbitration.
The Philippines case that US pushed through Hague Court of Arbitration was a procured OPINION. There was NO ARBITRATION —as parties did not agree to arbitration.
Not even signatories have rights under UNCLOS arbitration UNLESS they first conducted bilateral negotiations, and have determined differences they cannot solve.
AND they agree to accept the ruling of the court. In practice — countries go to UNCLOS arbitration for internal POLITICAL purposes. Neither party wants to blamed internally for “giving up” anything. Arbitration Court gets parties to confidentially reach agreement on give-and-take, and call it the ruling of Arbitration court This gives parties cover for unpopular decisions.
Especially in the arena of Extended Economic Zone. Parties can trade various rights. Like mineral exploration for fishing rights,
US wading into those issues has not been successful so far, That unofficial and non-binding opinion by Hague court has been declared an AWARD in favor of Philippines
by US media! But it had no impact on ASEAN organization that did not accept it.
As is ALWAYS the case – all US political statements are for the purposes of BRAINWASHING American public opinion.
This is critical — as without it, US would not be able to conduct its imperial politics.
By representing all US causes as benign and justified — it is easy to pursue aggression far and wide.
Even open racism and supremacism— we do not even notice it. Thus fighting Chinese or Russian “malign”influence most Americans take for granted. As absurd as it is — it is patiently being fed to US public through inventing narratives, lying about events, or just twisting the truth to fit the agenda.
Despite the massive availability of information, average person consumes the official narrative called “mainstream”media.
… Gosh, they’re just sending in the Coast Guard, not the Navy Seals…
Democrats want war with Russia and the Republicans want a war with China. Lucky for both parties whoever attacks one, gets both.
Coast guard cutters? Why not carriers? Is it because China can sink carriers if and when any shooting starts?
Losing a cutter would be terrible press, losing a carrier would fatal press to the commanders re-election!
‘Cause the actual USN littoral fleet that exists (so far) is going into mothballs, having crossed the T of being too expensive and too not working.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/01/the-us-navys-first-4-littoral-combat-ships-are-out-of-the-fleet-in-9-months/
Too much like sending in the cub scouts… An empty exercise. I think Chinese antiship missiles would make short work of the Coast Guarde cutters and any other of their vessels. Maybe better that he, and them, the commanders don’t seem to be playing with a full deck. Where is their copy of The Art of War? Did they ever read it…??? Are they sober..??? Or a bit to party to think of the headlines would appear should cooler heads not prevail on one side, or the other……?????? Or as one Chinese general put it, Do they really want to lose LA……??????? At election time???
The USN has a shortage of cheap disposable craft; CG cutters are the littoral ships the new littoral fleet isn’t.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/01/the-us-navys-first-4-littoral-combat-ships-are-out-of-the-fleet-in-9-months/
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f2f28d86a17f92301e09c10844ead76efeda74e5ba432e430ae37b7a55c7fd5a.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/72871d68dcd73f4ed783f441ce69e10cc6c23a9968f0575e52fd884b71d82d85.jpg
This is a misguided idea.
Well that’s just great. Now the CG has joined the Navy.
Now Coast Guard ship contracts will never again be on time(ish), on budget(ish) or work.