South China Sea and China (2011-2017)

[Dayuhan]

Dayuhan,

I heard a similiar comment on MSNBC from one of their many comical spokespersons when they tried, as you, to dismis this event as mere poaching. They, like you, simply embrace the anti-government, everyone is right, but our competitors and foes. If you want to simply be provocative, feel free to do so, but there is an ocean of difference between a rogue fishing ship poaching, and state sponsored intrusions that are supported by their Navy.

Chinese fishing boats do this all the time. They've been doing it for decades. There have been many, many incidents... boats get impounded, fishermen get arrested, the Chinese government presses for their release. If they have Navy (or in this case non-Navy) assets close enough, sometimes they push in. The basic message is - and has been - that they intend to fish anywhere they want. Does there have to be anything more?

The problem is that when people outside the region suddenly notice this long-running drama, they react as if it's something new, some upping of the ante, some new move that requires a response. In some quarters we hear opinions that suggest that anything but a chest-thumping showdown would be cowering defeat and anything less than hysteria is burying your head in the sand, as if there is no room between.

So we have it... this has been going on a long time. Sometimes it gets noticed by the world, sometimes not. Does it need a specific response, and if so from who? That's the question, no? I'm personally more worried about exaggerated responses than insufficient ones, because I think they'd do little or no good and potentially a lot of harm.

There's room for concern, but the moment our response shows fear - and no mistake, chest-thumping bluster is a sign of fear - we create more troubles than we solve.

Fortunately, people who have to consider what this means to their security interests can't afford the luxury of burying their head in the sand.

Is it not odd, then, that the two people posting here that actually live near the South China Sea are the ones who seem least fearful?