In the latest round of saber-rattling from Washington, US national security adviser John Bolton said in a radio interview aired on Friday that China’s “behavior needs to be adjusted in the trade area, in the international, military and political areas.”
Speaking to The Hugh Hewitt Show in an interview recorded on Thursday, the Trump administration official known for his hawkish views said China had taken advantage of the world order for too long and that previous US governments had failed to stand up to it.
“Now is the time to do it,” he said according to agency reports on his comments.
Bolton also said recent Chinese behavior in the South China Sea, where a US warship had a near collision with a Chinese vessel last month, was “dangerous,” while adding that the US was determined to keep the contested maritime area’s sea lanes open.
“This is something the Chinese need to understand,” he said, adding that US allies including Britain and Australia were also sailing through the South China Sea to keep the area open to international navigation. Japan has also participated in recent exercises in the area.
“We’re going to do a lot more on that,” he said in referring to US freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. Bolton also broached the idea of oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, though he did not mention with which claimant states the US might aim to prospect with. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei all have claims in the area.
“I think we could see more exploitation of mineral resources in the South China Sea with or without Chinese cooperation. They need to know they have not achieved a fait accompli here. This is not a Chinese province and will not be.”
Significantly, Bolton’s comments come after recent news reports that the US plans a massive show of force in the South China Sea in November, potentially coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the Philippines.
The US Navy’s Pacific Fleet’s reported classified proposal aims to carry out several missions over a week period as a warning to China and a demonstration of America’s resolve and capacity to counter Beijing’s recent militarization of the contested waterway, reports said.
The exercises, if launched, would underline US President Donald Trump’s emerging “peace through strength” strategy to contain China’s maritime assertiveness. Bolton also said China’s violation of international norms in trade and business had allowed it to gain substantial economic and military strength.
“If they’re put back in the proper place they would be if they weren’t allowed to steal our technology, their military capabilities would be substantially reduced. And a lot of the tensions we see caused by China would be reduced,” Bolton said.
He indicated that Washington was prepared to take more action to restrict sensitive high-tech exports to China.
“We did this and continue to do it in terms of dual-use technology that could affect nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or ballistic-missile development,” he said.
“They’ve never seen an American president this tough before,” Bolton said referring to Trump. “Perhaps we’ll see at the G-20 meeting in Argentina next month Xi Jinping willing to come to talk turkey on some of these issues.”
Mr. Bolton has always been an obstreporous child. He needed to have his own behaviour adjusted in the 1980s, let alone now. For him to put himself in the position of being China’s parent is a ridiculous charade that he will learn to regret deeply. It’s time for Mr. Trump to get rid of the little loudmouth, the ugliest American of all.
Mr. Bolton has always been an obstreporous child. He needed to have his own behaviour adjusted in the 1980s, let alone now. For him to put himself in the position of being China’s parent is a ridiculous charade that he will learn to regret deeply. It’s time for Mr. Trump to get rid of the little loudmouth, the ugliest American of all.
Look at the military casualties of those wars. Vietnam was lost politically as it was unpopular back home. Could you protest similarly in China if the people opposed a war?
Look at the military casualties of those wars. Vietnam was lost politically as it was unpopular back home. Could you protest similarly in China if the people opposed a war?
Like all dying super powers US is totally unready to give up and basically doomded. For example they still do not accept reality that Pacific is not any more US lake… RIP US, I bet on dragon, either US will learn to move away and adjust to multupolar world or China and Russia will eat it alive.
Like all dying super powers US is totally unready to give up and basically doomded. For example they still do not accept reality that Pacific is not any more US lake… RIP US, I bet on dragon, either US will learn to move away and adjust to multupolar world or China and Russia will eat it alive.
All hat, no cattle.
All hat, no cattle.
Just wait and see.
Just wait and see.
Obama fault.
Obama fault.
Of course! China lost huge after that.
Of course! China lost huge after that.
USA needs to adjusts it’s behaviour.
USA needs to adjusts it’s behaviour.
Be aware of China
Be aware of China
So there’s tension in the South China Sea. China’s response: work with all the claimant countries to establish a Code of Conduct for the SCS, and engage in joint-exploration of resources in disputed areas so that all countries have their claims respected and all can benefit. The U.S.’s response: flood the area with U.S. warships, make more U.S. military bases, and side with their allies’ claims over others by exploiting resources based only on single countries’ claims. It’s never been more obvious that China is seeking peace and the U.S. is seeking to cause tension and conflict in the SCS.
Additionally, the U.S. can only work with Vietnam based on their claims in the north of the SCS because they only overlap with China and Taiwan’s claims. If they exploit resources based on Phillippine claims in or near the Spratly Islands then they would violate almost every other nations’ claims.
If I may recall correctly Vietnam gave China a bloody nose in 1978.
Richard Truong Vietnam has already tried working with foreign oil companies to exploit resources jointly claimed by Vietnam and China. First they used a Spanish oil company to drill (offering them drilling rights based on their claim) but that was cancelled when China told them that if they don’t stop the drilling then they would militarily attack Vietnam’s 30+ militarily occupied islands and reefs in the South China Sea (Vietnam immediately cancelled business with the Spanish oil company). Next Vietnam convinced a Russian oil company to do the same thing and, as far as I know, they are still drilling in the SCS. I see no reason why they wouldn’t contract a U.S. company to do this as well.
I think that all the comments were made regardless of the Chinese behaviour, their disregard of international ruling on the south Chinese sea dispute and their belligerent bajavior towards it neighbours.
It’s of no doubt that the Chinese economy hinges on America’s economy. They’ve closed their economy and expect others to open theirs. They steal intellectual property by forcing mergers between a local business with foreign ones. They manipulate their local currency to make their exports relatively cheap. They flood the world with inferior goods.
We can predict China’s future behaviour from the way they threaten their neighbours militarily. Thank God the US is close to put China at its rightful place. Bravo!!! America. You’re the hope of the China-oppressed neighbours. God bless America
I think that all the comments were made regardless of the Chinese behaviour, their disregard of international ruling on the south Chinese sea dispute and their belligerent bajavior towards it neighbours.
It’s of no doubt that the Chinese economy hinges on America’s economy. They’ve closed their economy and expect others to open theirs. They steal intellectual property by forcing mergers between a local business with foreign ones. They manipulate their local currency to make their exports relatively cheap. They flood the world with inferior goods.
We can predict China’s future behaviour from the way they threaten their neighbours militarily. Thank God the US is close to put China at its rightful place. Bravo!!! America. You’re the hope of the China-oppressed neighbours. God bless America
The Hague ruling was not an "international ruling." If it were, the U.N. would seek to enforce it. If you bother to look into it, the U.S. government paid $25 million to five people to give them the verdict they wanted. This is obvious bribery. The International Court of Arbitration is supposed to operate by having two countries, who have a dispute and agree to binding arbitration, each pay half the price and agree to abide by the outcome. Instead you had a non-claimant state arbitrarily begin the proceedings. It was nonsense and even the Phillippines, who supposedly won the decision, view it as nonsense; which is why they haven’t tried to use the ruling.
Only 20% of Chinese exports are sent to the U.S. and the present trade war has not significantly affected Chinese economic growth. In fact, Chinese exports to the U.S. have actually grown since the trade war started.
As for threatening other countries militarily, China’s last war was in 1979 and that was only an attempt to prevent Vietnam from invading Cambodia. The U.S. is presently at war and has been at war almost continously since World War II. The idea that China militarily threatens other countries is complete nonsense.
The Hague ruling was not an "international ruling." If it were, the U.N. would seek to enforce it. If you bother to look into it, the U.S. government paid $25 million to five people to give them the verdict they wanted. This is obvious bribery. The International Court of Arbitration is supposed to operate by having two countries, who have a dispute and agree to binding arbitration, each pay half the price and agree to abide by the outcome. Instead you had a non-claimant state arbitrarily begin the proceedings. It was nonsense and even the Phillippines, who supposedly won the decision, view it as nonsense; which is why they haven’t tried to use the ruling.
Only 20% of Chinese exports are sent to the U.S. and the present trade war has not significantly affected Chinese economic growth. In fact, Chinese exports to the U.S. have actually grown since the trade war started.
As for threatening other countries militarily, China’s last war was in 1979 and that was only an attempt to prevent Vietnam from invading Cambodia. The U.S. is presently at war and has been at war almost continously since World War II. The idea that China militarily threatens other countries is complete nonsense.