Pentagon invites China to Naval Exercise

[Jenksismyhero]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commen...0,7560801.story

 

This spring, China's navy accepted the Pentagon's invitation to participate in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific — RIMPAC — naval exercise to be held off Hawaii. This will be the first time China takes part in the biennial event.

 

Our allies should signal their intent to withdraw from the exercise if China participates. Failing that, the invitation should be withdrawn. RIMPAC is for allies and friends, not nations planning to eventually wage war on the United States. Russia sent ships in 2012, but while its senior officers may occasionally utter unfriendly words, they are not actively planning to fight the United States. Analyst Robert Sutter was surely correct when he wrote in 2005 that "China is the only large power in the world preparing to shoot Americans."

 

That assessment, unfortunately, remains true today. Beijing is configuring its forces — especially its navy — to fight ours. For instance, China has deployed along its southern coast its DF-21D, a two-stage solid-fuel missile that can be guided by satellite signals. The missile is dubbed the "carrier killer" because it can be configured to explode in midair, raining down sharp metal on a deck crowded with planes, ordinance, fuel and sailors. Its apparent intent is to drive U.S. forces out of East Asia.

 

A pattern of aggressive Chinese tactics also points in that direction. Especially troubling is the harassment in international waters of unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance vessels for more than a decade, most notably the blocking of the Impeccable in the South China Sea in 2009. And there was the 2001 downing of a Navy EP-3 and the surfacing of a Song-class attack submarine in the middle of the Kitty Hawk strike group near Okinawa in 2006.

 

Since then, we have been hearing bold war talk in the Chinese capital, from new leader Xi Jinping to senior officers and colonels who say they relish combat — a "hand-to-hand fight with the U.S.," as one of them put it in 2010.

 

Not really sure why we'd be doing this. Is this a ploy by the DoD to see how much better the Chinese navy is getting? Is it really just to play nice and hope to win their affections?

[Soxbadger]

Probably because unlike the articles insinuation, the US and China have no real incentive to actually go to war with each other. Thus you invite them instead of creating some sort of stupid international incident when China gets upset they werent invited to play imaginary war with everyone else.

 

Or maybe its a treat for China playing well with others and trying to further isolate NK.

 

[Jenksismyhero]

Probably because unlike the articles insinuation, the US and China have no real incentive to actually go to war with each other. Thus you invite them instead of creating some sort of stupid international incident when China gets upset they werent invited to play imaginary war with everyone else.

 

Or maybe its a treat for China playing well with others and trying to further isolate NK.

 

They have no real incentive but the "war" has already begun in the cyber world. And they continue building their military in an effort to match US capabilities - whether it be hacking into our defense sytems and stealing secrets or paying Pakistan to check out our stealth helicopter after the Bin Laden raid.

 

I just don't see a benefit here. At best we're saying thanks, but we're also providing them a free look into how our Navy operates.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Jenksismybitch

[Soxbadger]

And we are getting a free look at their military.

[Balta1701]

They get a free look at how the navy operates every time the navy holds an exercise.

[southsideirish71]

And we are getting a free look at their military.

 

Well their military equipment is our equipment with a red star on the side after years of espionage.

[Jenksismyhero]

They get a free look at how the navy operates every time the navy holds an exercise.

 

Looking at pictures via satellite and going through the actual planning/briefing are pretty different things though.

[southsider2k5]

They already stole all of our secrets, maybe we are trying for some of theirs.

[NorthSideSox72]

Well their military equipment is our equipment with a red star on the side after years of espionage.

Not even close. China's military technology, on net, equivalent and similar to Soviet-level stuff from about the late 80's. They have some stuff more advanced, some stuff less.

 

Example... last year China was doing an air exercise to show off their new, home-built air superiority fighter jets. First of all, there was the hilarious video highlight reel they released, which as it turns out had interlaced footage from Top Gun in it to make it look cooler. But analysts watching it noted that the jet is actually a Chinese knock-off of the Sukhoi SU-27, a fighter the Soviets (now Russians) started making in the 80's then updated in the early 2000's. China's version isn't as good as that. They copied and tried to improve, and didn't do so well.

 

So no, they aren't nearly at our level yet, or even particularly close.

 

Then there is the fact that, as noted, they have nearly zero motivation (as a nation) to go to war with the West. It would destroy their economy straight-away, then everything else after it.

 

China is toying and learning, and the US should very much be concerned and watching them closely. But the idea that there is any imminent threat is a joke.

 

As for this exercise, the US has been watched from afar for a long time, and I don't think China would learn a whole ton from just being part of the exercise. But China does a lot fewer exercises and with a lot fewer countries watching. So ultimately, I think the US can learn more from it than China could. China probably says yes to keep ties warm, but also for the publicity it gives them. They want to look elite.

 

[Texsox]

Their technology only has to be good enough so that it will only take losing five of them to kill one of ours.

[southsider2k5]

Their technology only has to be good enough so that it will only take losing five of them to kill one of ours.

 

Considering we could nuke the world into pre-historic times, I don't think that would be a problem.

[greg775]

Serious question: Do you think eventually the world will end or be changed forever as a result of US and China tensions? Do you feel someday we will nuke them and/or they will nuke us? It seems to me we have met our match in China. I prefer the USA and am a heckuva patriot and all that, but I am asking you ... will china prevail at some point in the world order?

When the world ends will it be a result of USA and China nukes???

[Texsox]

China? No. Unaffiliated terrorist? Possible, but not likely.

[Balta1701]

Serious question: Do you think eventually the world will end or be changed forever as a result of US and China tensions? Do you feel someday we will nuke them and/or they will nuke us? It seems to me we have met our match in China. I prefer the USA and am a heckuva patriot and all that, but I am asking you ... will china prevail at some point in the world order?

When the world ends will it be a result of USA and China nukes???

Military tensions? No. Nuclear tensions? No.

 

The world will be forever changed by 1.2 billion people entering the economy over the past 20 years and the next 30 or so.

[Jenksismyhero]

China's economy will collapse before we have to worry about their military.

[bigruss]

China's economy will collapse before we have to worry about their military.

If their economy crashes and they start pulling back their loans to the US, we could be in big trouble. We both need each other to be successful.

[Jenksismyhero]

If their economy crashes and they start pulling back their loans to the US, we could be in big trouble. We both need each other to be successful.

 

I for one would love the pull back of that relationship. Get the manufacturing back home.

[NorthSideSox72]

I for one would love the pull back of that relationship. Get the manufacturing back home.

There are negative consequences to that, if they sell off strong enough. Flooding the market with US Treasury instruments will be a detriment to government budgeting and spending, among other effects.

 

[Balta1701]

There are negative consequences to that, if they sell off strong enough. Flooding the market with US Treasury instruments will be a detriment to government budgeting and spending, among other effects.

It would also devastate the Chinese economy.

[NorthSideSox72]

It would also devastate the Chinese economy.

I think you have the causality backwards, but yes, by proxy they would occur together.

 

[southsider2k5]

I think you have the causality backwards, but yes, by proxy they would occur together.

 

China would self-destruct if they didn't have our market place to dump into. It is why they have been trying to get into other markets around the world.

[greg775]

Do you feel China wishes to conquer the world?

[Jenksismyhero]

Do you feel China wishes to conquer the world?

 

No. I view them as a sane North Korea - they've been (and in many ways still are) a third world country and have recently gone through a major revolution. They want to be seen as a first world power.

[Balta1701]

Wonder if today's events will have any impact on china's participation in this exercise.

[farmteam]

Wonder if today's events will have any impact on china's participation in this exercise.

Did I miss something big happening today?