Are we heading for war with China?

[billy the kid]

My concern is the absolute hypocrisy of the USA.
They have military bases all over the world.
Trump says he wants to bring the troops home....
Bullshit.
What other country on the planet has military bases everywhere.
The USA in its lust for power and world domination has attempted to influence the world
simply by its worldwide presence...
The Spratly Islands conundrum is a classic example of the USA meddling simply because it can....
Im not defending China.
Im simply saying that China is now competing with the USA as a world power.
China has its silk belt road initiative which we all know about.
The simple question has to be asked...why is the USA so interested in meddling in the South China Sea.
Don't forget the name of the region....the South China Sea...it is not American turf.
America objects to the development of the Spratly Islands by China simply because it allows China to monitor
US military bases in the Philippines...(on the Scarborough Shoal) China also has surface to air missiles located on Woody Island.
China has obviously militarised the islands.....
The USA doesn't like that....
On a yearly basis $1.2 trillion of US traded goods pass through the South China Sea.
The US want it to remain as part of international waters.
In other words, the USA doesn't like being usurped...
In an action in the Hague the UN backed Court of Arbitration decided that China had acted illegally.
China ignored this ruling stating it had no right...no jurisdiction....
The USA has taken it upon themselves as the sheriff of the world to enforce that ruling.
What right has the USA to enforce that ruling.
Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines and China have a claim to the disputed area...
...notice the USA is absent from that list...
Vietnam and the Philippines are also involved in artificial island construction in this area.
Nothing is said by the US of this construction....
The USA and China will soon be at war...
This will happen...…
We could also look at the Strait of Hormuz where the USA is also involved....
AND Iraq....and Afghanistan...and Syria....need I repeat myself....
4E is defending the indefensible, simply because he is an American...
He is obviously biased......

[Black Orchid]

Trump is the least interventionist President I have seen in my time. You should be grateful it isn't Hillary

As for the South China Sea it's not China's turf to do with as it sees fit and to the detriment of Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei or Australia either.

I have no desire to start learning Chinese either but have at it.

[billy the kid]

You seem to defend Morrison by saying he's better than Shorten....
You defend Trump in the same terms...comparing him to Hillary....
That's a pretty feeble argument....
The thrust of my post is not against Trump...it criticizes the USA...and its worldwide spread
of military bases which have been in existence for decades.....
No-one will have to learn Chinese....

[Bobby]

My concern is the absolute hypocrisy of the USA.
They have military bases all over the world.
Trump says he wants to bring the troops home....
Bullshit.

dear Billy,
You have to put it into context with Sept. 1939.
Hitler invaded Poland and the Yanks did their best to stay out of it.
In the end Pearl Harbor forced them into WW2 in Dec. 1941.
It showed what happens when the world doesn't have a global policeman.
It would have been far cheaper to stop Hitler back in 1938 before it all got out of hand.
We've avoided WW3 so far with the American taxpayers paying most of the bill -
which adds up to countless $trillions.
China has nothing to fear if it keeps its military nose out of world affairs.
I'm quite happy that we have Uncle Sam on our side because
I have always feared a Chinese invasion.

My Grandmother used to say - way back in 1970s -
" if the Chinese thought they could get away with it
they'd invade us tomorrow "
She was right.

[Black Orchid]

Firstly I criticise Morrison more than I praise him and I just cannot stand Shorten. I criticised Turnbull more than anyone. So what?

I praise Trump for the good I know he is doing. I also criticise things about him too but he is improving with the tweets and how he handles the repulsive media. I don't suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome that a few moonbats here do. So what?

As far as I know the US military bases aren't spreading and, in fact, are declining. Do you have a link showing where they are spreading?

So let the Chinese take over the South China Sea and see where that leaves us. Russia obviously couldn't give a damn and the UK don't give a damn about it, or us, either. So if the US has a presence there I am all for it, absolutely!

Perhaps you could give us a solution rather than just bashing the US?

[Black Orchid]

My concern is the absolute hypocrisy of the USA.
They have military bases all over the world.
Trump says he wants to bring the troops home....
Bullshit.

dear Billy,
You have to put it into context with Sept. 1939.
Hitler invaded Poland and the Yanks did their best to stay out of it.
In the end Pearl Harbor forced them into WW2 in Dec. 1941.
It showed what happens when the world doesn't have a global policeman.
It would have been far cheaper to stop Hitler back in 1938 before it all got out of hand.
We've avoided WW3 so far with the American taxpayers paying most of the bill -
which adds up to countless $trillions.
China has nothing to fear if it keeps its military nose out of world affairs.
I'm quite happy that we have Uncle Sam on our side because
I have always feared a Chinese invasion.

My Grandmother used to say - way back in 1970s -
" if the Chinese thought they could get away with it
they'd invade us tomorrow "
She was right.

Without the US presence we would be history in no time at all. No thanks!

[billy the kid]

Washington has and always will be corrupt...there is no solution....
Oh and Bobby....the USA froze Japanese assets and placed an oil embargo on Japan...that caused Pearl Harbour..
Japan was at war with China... and the USA....umm..interfered…..they didn't like the way Japan was..umm killing Chinese
women and children...…
BUT then...later....umm...the USA invaded Vietnam and umm...killed women and children....umm..
when they bombed civilian villages.....
BUT then again the USA has been placing embargos/sanctions on worldwide countries
even since then....haven't they...??
Someone correct me if Im wrong....Ill stand corrected....
Anyone...….!!!!!!

[brian ross]

Without the US presence we would be history in no time at all. No thanks!

Would we? The Japanese couldn't even agree on attacking Australia directly. The Imperial Japanese Navy voted in favour. The Imperial Japanese Army was unsure that the IJN could protect such an expedition, let alone supply it. The Army was unsure whether they had the forces to undertake such a task - they were overcommitted in China. Then, we were quite capable of defending ourselves. The 2nd AIF had returned from the Middle East. They were the most experienced and well equipped force in the region. The Japanese were not very well trained in open, manoeuvre warfare. The AIF were masters. Overall, we were quite able to defend ourselves, even if the politicians in Canberra were panicked. The US protected it 'cause it suited them to do so.

[Black Orchid]

Without the US presence we would be history in no time at all. No thanks!

The US protected it 'cause it suited them to do so.

And it suited us more!

[Texan]

Without the US presence we would be history in no time at all. No thanks!

Would we? The Japanese couldn't even agree on attacking Australia directly. The Imperial Japanese Navy voted in favour. The Imperial Japanese Army was unsure that the IJN could protect such an expedition, let alone supply it. The Army was unsure whether they had the forces to undertake such a task - they were overcommitted in China. Then, we were quite capable of defending ourselves. The 2nd AIF had returned from the Middle East. They were the most experienced and well equipped force in the region. The Japanese were not very well trained in open, manoeuvre warfare. The AIF were masters. Overall, we were quite able to defend ourselves, even if the politicians in Canberra were panicked. The US protected it 'cause it suited them to do so.

You're comparing Japan 80 years ago to China today. Do you realize how much smaller the Earth is now?