China Presses Its Maritime Luck, Blocks Access To Fishing Lanes
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
03/02/2016
“No fishing for you!”
We suppose it was only a matter of time, but Beijing has now escalated the South China Sea dispute.
The waters around the Spratlys have become the subject of international diplomacy after China decided to dredge up 3,000 acres of new sovereign territory in what amounts to the most epic sand castle building exercise in maritime history.
The world first caught on to what China was up to (and no, that’s not derogatory because they were literally “up to something”), early last year when satellite images depicted rapid construction on Fiery Cross Reef. The situation escalated quickly and before you knew it, the PLA was warning a Poseidon spy plane with a CNN crew aboard to “go now” in a move that pretty clearly indicated China intended to establish a no-fly zone over its new islands.
Finally, in late October, the Obama administration decided to conduct a freedom of navigation “exercise” near China’s new islands, an effort The Pentagon says was designed to establish security in a corridor through which $5 trillion in global trade flows.
Earlier this month, China send warplanes to an airstrip on one of its islands. That move came on the heels of the deployment of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles to Woody island.
On Wednesday, Philippine officials say Chinese ships are blocking access to fishing lanes at the Jackson Atoll where in 2011, PLA warships fired “warning shots” at fisherman.
“We know there are Chinese ships moving around the Spratly area,” spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla told Reuters. “There are also ships around Second Thomas Shoal, so we want to make sure if the presence is permanent.”
Trust us General, the “presence” is indeed permanent.
The Rest…HERE
