U.S. ships, barred from Hong Kong, now sail under China's nose

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — A spat over China's denial of port calls to U.S. naval vessels has led the Pentagon to deploy an increasing number of large ships to transit the Taiwan Strait in some of the most sensitive waters in East Asia.

While the U.S. Navy has explained the passage of at least seven ships through the Strait in the past nine days as the result of bad weather, it also conveys U.S. displeasure to China over its refusal to let Navy vessels dock in Hong Kong.

China has now refused entry to nine U.S. Navy vessels into Hong Kong harbor. On Friday, Navy officials said China denied permission to a U.S. Air Force C-17 flight that had been scheduled for a routine re-supply of the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.

The sudden port denials have angered Pentagon officials, and baffled U.S. policymakers puzzling over the message China seeks to send.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/22410.html

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. China denied the port entries to show dissatisfaction over U.S. selling Taiwan more anti-sub and

anti-missile capability and have said so in public statements. They are basically saying "look you (the US) can't just take actions that we view as against our interests and expect to have a port here" as well as asserting their status as a world power. The message is not at all unclear.

Putting the carrier group through the Taiwan Strait in response is shrubco's military equivalent of throwing a snit-fit.

[ShockediSay]

2. WONG WAY

"Putting the carrier group through the Taiwan Strait in response is shrubco's military equivalent of throwing a snit-fit."

I give the Bushies a Flying F at strengthening US in the world. So what would we do now if the Chinese decide escalate, to dump their dollars (throwing our economy into Chaos) and invading Taiwan (where do we get the troops to respond, ?THE DRAFT)?

Cheney comes from Colorado, where proportionally they have the greatest # of nut cases who live on their own planets. And Cheney runs most of our foreign policy. It shows.

[Robbien]

4. Yes, I agree this is totally the wrong way to handle this situation

China has the upper hand here and it reacts very strongly to any perceived loss of face.

Gaaah. We need a State Department. Where in the world can we get a good diplomatic State Department, and fast?

[rockymountaindem]

5. Wrong. Cheney comes from Wyoming

Don't judge my state based on him.

[donheld]

11. Cheney does NOT come from Colorado NOT NOT NOT

:spank: :puke: :spank: Sorry but I had a seizure when I saw that. We have enough losers from our state we don't need the blame for him.

[SpiralHawk]

13. "But, I really am a, um, a, tough guy." - Commander AWOL

"Just because I am a Connecticut yankee preppy cheerleader who whimped out on my National Guard Service and on 9/11, there is no need to get snippy with me. I really am tough and stuff, and if you don't believe me just ask Jeff 'Bulldog' Gannon, the official Bush White House male prostitute."

- Commander AWOL

[lapfog_1]

14. BTW... Cheney dumped HIS dollars for Euros quite some time ago - n/t

[Kokonoe]

3. Baffled U.S. policymakers puzzling over how to spin

the China message. Hmmm.... I know,it must be a new cold war on Christmas!

[MetaTrope]

6. Oooooo, that's going to solve the problem isn't it

Must be one of the commander in chief's famous infantile snits in action.

[Strelnikov_]

7. Hope they don't collide with one of the massive fleet of container ships

carrying the goods that keep American shelves filled . . . and American weapons systems operating.


Yep, this globalization thing was really well thought out, just like Iraq.

[L0oniX]

8. Please don't anger the Chinese because we don't want Wal-Mart to close down.

:sarcasm:

[angstlessk]

9. Taiwan owns HOW much of our debt vs China?

Are we insane? or just play insane about foriegn policy? "We" being the boosh administration!

[Psephos]

19. What does that have to do with what's right or wrong?

You think obeisance to cash should determine our foreign policy?

No offense, but I don't.

[sentelle]

27. Can we repay them,

By just *giving* them Walmart?

[Hulk]

10. Oh, this is a good idea. Let's see if we can "out piss them off"...typical chimp diplomacy

How long till we get these assholes out of the White House? Is this our idea of working problems out? God help the world if we are going to be the "super power". Our judgment sucks!

[JohnyCanuck]

12. For the baffled US policy makers......

I don't really know more than one or two words in Cantonese, and I know absolutely no Mandarin, but let me attempt to translate the Chinese message to the USA that reportedly has you stumped. I think it means, "Fuck you, you bunch of dipshits!" Hope this helps.

[Turbineguy]

15. Bad weather is

a good and legitimate reason. I've spent plenty of time hiding in the Taiwan Straight. Of course, that was during typhoon season...

[boricua79]

16. hey, if the U.S. wants to provoke another Hainan affair

by all means....

It's not like we lost that little cock fight.... :sarcasm:

*crickets*

[ProudToBeLiberal]

17. I fully support Taiwan over anti-democratic China

For the first time, I agree with Bush for deploying ships to the Taiwan strait.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

18. Could you imagine the reaction in the US

if PR Chinese Navy vessels were docked in mainland US ports?

[Psephos]

20. They already have a navy's worth of merchant ships docked in our harbor cities

Those are the weapons of economic warfare.

[Thothmes]

22. Wouldnt get a rise

Even during the cold war years, warships of the Soviet Navy visited U.S. Ports. Warships of the U.S. and Nato navies visited ports in the Warsaw pack and Soviet Union. It is no big deal

[Anarcho-Socialist]

24. I didn't know that, thanks n/t

[pinniped]

21. No doubt that asshole * is behind this shit.

This POS* thinks the military are his personal toys.

Well, they have done just about everything asshole orders them to do.

[Thothmes]

23. believe that is what the Constitution requires them to do.

[pinniped]

25. I didn't realize that outdated piece of parchment was still relevant.

.

[Thothmes]

26. You may not be the only one.