onsdag 19. august 2020

'Wild card': US quietly makes unprecedented move against China

The United States has quietly conducted a demonstration of force against China as the two super powers continue to square off in what is shaping up as a flashpoint for potential conflict. The US Navy’s latest exercises in the South China Sea saw the USS Mustin destroyer sail through the body of water separating China and Taiwan as it promises to ensure the region is “free and open” in the face of China’s increased aggression and expansionist territorial claims.

According to reports in Taiwanese media, the US ship sailed west of the tacitly acknowledged median line which demarcates the two territorial bodies of water, approaching the Chinese coastline. The significance of the move to reportedly cross the maritime border is debatable, but it’s a subtle message by the US in what amounts to a “wild card” issue for global security, says Professor John Blaxland from the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific.