Pres. Obama sent his Under Secretary for east Asian Affairs to Beijing recently to discuss reefs. No, it wasn't about rising ocean levels; no, it wasn't about levels of CO2 in the ocean and its effects on coral reek development/deterioration. It was about reef control or control of reefs in the South China Sea.
Since 2012, when Premier Xi took over the Grand Palace, an aggressive building program was begun in and on the reefs in question. They are: Fiery Cross Reef(luv the name); Hughes Reef(who was Hughes); Johnson South Reef(who is Johnson?); and Gaven Reefs(yes, plural). What's the issue here X 4?
Seems some other interested parties believe that Premier Xi is being a little too assertive of Chinese expansionist claims on these rocks in what most consider to be international waters. Interested locals include Vietnam, the Philippines; Brunei; Taiwan; and Malaysia. Premier Xi says that construction efforts are only to make life more comfortable for local Chinese workers. Really? What are the workers working on? They need comforts to be comfortable while working to be more comfortable in an area that causes others to be uncomfortable? So, it's all about comfort.
These islands, if you will, lie about 200 miles northwest of Brunei, about 175 miles from Palawan Is.(PI); about 300 miles from Vietnam; about 1000 miles from Taiwan; and about 800 miles from China's island, Hainan. You can view them on GoogleEarth up close, drone eye view.
Some claim the Chinese are building a chain of island fortresses. Hardly. Just looks like the Chinese have too much money. James Hardy, editor of Janes IHS Asia Defense Weekly, says this build up will support many troops, maybe a future airstrip.
Too much money flowing from Beijing. What if they devalue the yuan? Then what?
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