South China Sea - Have we already lost

My weal name is James Wong 006. Secwet agen man. My mission is to expose the weal matwix we wive in.

Well, hello James. I’m Sally White, Agent 0. You may remember me as Alice in the Brady Bunch, or Jimmy Carter back in The White House.

I used to write for Peanuts too, but that’s just a front.

Perhaps global warming will solve this whole problem for us. All those islets in the South China Sea are no more than a meter above sea level. It’s going to take a lot of sand for China’s military to keep its head above water. Of course, same is true for all those other claimants of South China Sea real estate.

Maybe it’s time to start researching submerged dwellings. Gives new meaning to the term “underwater mortgages.”

Note that this could be very bad news for supporters of rooftop solar panels.

Underwater turbines, perhaps, generating power through currents and tides?

My weal name is James Wong 006. Secwet agen man. My mission is to expose the weal matwix we wive in.[/quote]

That’s some serious de-rhotacization.

Is the US a warmonger? Funny, I don’t recall any major alliance being developed against it. And, as for all the leftwing “knowledge” that passes as “accepted wisdom” among the mindless left, don’t see how the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq led to any of the neighboring countries building up alliances to control us. Why was that? And yet, we do see a lot of movement with regard to Russian and Chinese actions… now, help me out here, why would that be the case for China/Russia but not the US… hmmmm difficult one… maybe a few of the Canadians on the forum can help me out? :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

Yes. Anything else I can help you with?

No. I am more than aware of the intellectual challenges that you face. But be of good cheer, in your world facts are not relevant, feelings are and you certainly are a rich man on that planet. Have a nice day! Keep smiling! You’re beautiful! Oh, yes, you are!

No. I am more than aware of the intellectual challenges that you face. But be of good cheer, in your world facts are not relevant, feelings are and you certainly are a rich man on that planet. Have a nice day! Keep smiling! You’re beautiful! Oh, yes, you are![/quote]

I thought there would never be anything weaker than your debating skills, but your insults in the last few months have fallen so far that it’s actually kind of a toss up at this point. Come on Fred, you gotta step up your insult game, that was pathetic. Nobody expects any comments from you that are of any relevance what so ever, but at least we can expect some comic relief no? I’ll give you another shot.

Yes, the US would qualify as a warmongering nation in the last 70 years. Now take a deep breath, summon your inner 6 year old, and hit me again.

Maybe I am trying to come up with a new insultment paradigm… one that would be “innovative” and “exciting.”

If you keep raining on my parade, I am going to have to get an umbrella. Know where I might find one?

Another shot at what? qualifying for something? What do you recommend? Can you give me some words of advice? I will try to show some interest? Maybe if you throw all your compound thoughts into one barrel, we could shoot them like fish? and then youl wouldn’t need to teach me?

Is this like the joke about the man who isn’t there just like he wasn’t there yesterday and the day before or is this like Waiting for Your Intellect at a bus stop? or perhaps, trying to host a dinner party while a tattooed donkey tries to crawl through your window?

brent, fred doesn’t work up a sweat bothering to find the right insult for you because you’re simply not worth the effort, my dear chum.

Well, I guess this will do for a South China Sea thread. Latest development:

We can thank Bill Clinton, the greedy US Congress and corporate America for allowing China to become this strong.

So, let’s see, a scenario where China attacks Filipino ships and/or islands. Will US huff and puff or worse?

Before you say Filipinas is now China’s ally because Duterte said so, well, if anything, recent history has shown us that any time anyone makes concessions/kowtows to China, they are promptly kicked in the butt to show them who’s the boss.

Yup, my guess is that China are waving their gun-barrels for the benefit of local psychopaths, no names mentioned, who might be getting some silly ideas about manipulating China for financial gain: the downfall of that particular demagogue, I reckon, is that he thinks everyone is an idiot except him. The last thing China wants, IMO, is a haven for terrorists off to the southeast, and the US are probably happy enough to let them deal with that as best they can.

I’m 99% certain that even if the US and China aren’t exactly the best of pals, they appear to have come to some sort of uneasy power-sharing arrangement. Their economies are so inextricably linked that either one causing trouble for the other would amount to shooting oneself in the foot. Or the head.

Gunboats first, then diplomacy.

Actually, there is legal framework, it’s called the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982. The Philippines also won a legal case in the Hague in 2016 against China, for its claim over territory that was in the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone of 200nm. That was ignored by China, and Duterte elected after the case was settled, has used it as leverage in trade discussions with China .

Leverage? I think you mean let China do whatever it wants in Philippines’ waters. What exactly is the Philippines getting out of it anyway?

Arms deals.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/05/15/1700181/china-offers-500-m-arms-loan-philippines