Quote Originally Posted by Ray View Post
One also does not know the state of the Chinese Navy to take on a joint threat.

Not directly stated that the US was abandoning it allies, but implied that unless attacked, the Mutual Defence Treaty with Philippines was merely an exercise on paper.
What does the discussion of providing armament have to do with the Mutual Defense Treaty?

Arms deals are not required by the treaty. They are not a treaty obligation. The US may of course elect to make such an arrangement if it feels that that the arrangement serves its interests, but it's not a treaty obligation.

We'll see what, if anything, comes of it.

I don't think the Chinese have any intention of taking on a joint or individual threat, so the capacity may not be all that important.

US legislators love to look tough on China, particularly given the desire of so many US voters to blame American economic problems on the Chinese. There's a clear political payoff for a US legislator in backing this kind of bill... how it will play out in practice is another story altogether. Most likely it will just fire off yet another round of words and a bit of transitory saber rattling.

Quote Originally Posted by Ray View Post
This is just what I have been repeating to all the appeasement theories that were being stated
Where has anyone stated an "appeasement theory"?