Chinese Navy surround and harrass US Navy Ship Impeccable

[theTANTALIZER]

The Associated Press: Pentagon: Chinese vessels harassed unarmed ship


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon charged Monday that five Chinese ships shadowed and maneuvered dangerously close to a U.S. Navy vessel in an apparent attempt to harass the American crew.

The Obama administration said the incident Sunday followed several days of "increasingly aggressive" acts by Chinese ships in the region.

U.S. officials said a protest was to be delivered to Beijing's military attache at a Pentagon meeting Monday.

"The unprofessional maneuvers by Chinese vessels violated the requirement under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean," said Marine Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman.

A Chinese intelligence ship and four others surrounded the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed vessel with a civilian merchant marine crew, as the craft conducted ocean surveys in international waters in the South China Sea, the Defense Department said in a statement.

The Impeccable sprayed one ship with water from fire hoses to force it away. Despite the force of the water, Chinese crew members stripped to their underwear and continued closing within 25 feet, the Defense department said.

"We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea, endangering vessels and the lives of U.S. and Chinese mariners," Upton said.

 

[Goobieman]

You can expect many, many more challenges of this sort in the future.
If we're lucky, they will all be as minimal as this.

 

[jallman]

The Chinese don't even respect human rights in their own country so how do you expect them to use respectful nautical protocol in international waters?

I would argue that we start sending armed vessels as escorts from now on.

 

[LennyD]

You can expect many, many more challenges of this sort in the future.
If we're lucky, they will all be as minimal as this.

I am not happy about it, but I have to agree.

It should be interesting to see how the US and China interact in the future as the financial and military powers continue to change (away from the advantage of the US) and the once smaller dog has since grown up and and may no longer wish to obey the once bigger dog.

I would hate to see a serious flexing of muscle from either side (especially while the US is in it's worst condition to do so in many years) in a show of power or who has the upper hand.

For anyone who does not believe the seriousness of this all just consider one of the first stops for the new Sec of State was to crawl up to China and beg they buy up more of our debt. It would only seem that to return the favor our Govt. will continue to allow the duty free imports and unfair practices that have become common place with trading with this country and also the continued destruction of the US GDP and our quality of life as we continue as a nation to trade corporate profits and political contributions for our very way of life.

Whew what a mess.

 

[WI Crippler]

Anybody find this line odd?

The Impeccable sprayed one ship with water from fire hoses to force it away. Despite the force of the water, Chinese crew members stripped to their underwear and continued closing within 25 feet, the Defense department said.

 

[StandUpChuck]

Anybody find this line odd?

Well, it just seems like they wanted to get their wet clothes off, but it seems they were hell bent on continuing to harrass.

After this incident, I bet Obama is pondering sending Wen Jiaboa some DVDs. You know, he likes to reach out to aggressors.

 

[Arch Enemy]

Anybody find this line odd?

I bet it is a traditional sign of "look at my small penis".

 

[jallman]

Well, it just seems like they wanted to get their wet clothes off, but it seems they were hell bent on continuing to harrass.

I thought it was just a Pavlovian response to having fire hoses turned on them after time spent in "re-education camps".

 

[WI Crippler]

Well, it just seems like they wanted to get their wet clothes off, but it seems they were hell bent on continuing to harrass.

After this incident, I bet Obama is pondering sending Wen Jiaboa some DVDs. You know, he likes to reach out to aggressors.

You know what happens when you take your wet clothes off, and you continue to get sprayed by water? You still get wet.

 

[Voidwar]

We should have closed their ports when they rammed our aircraft back in 2001.

Taking any **** at all when wearing the uniform is a huge mistake.

It ALWAYS entices further provocations.

In the same vein, we should have sunk Iran's Navy when they grabbed up those british Sailors.

 

[rathi]

This is just pointless posturing. The most practical thing to do is tell the Chinese to knock it off and just keep doing our usual activities.

 

[ludahai]

You can expect many, many more challenges of this sort in the future.
If we're lucky, they will all be as minimal as this.

Have we all already forgotten the airplane incident in 2001 when the Chinese jet fighter provoked a confrontation when a US plane was operating legally in international airspace?

 

[ludahai]

Where are the China apologists?

 

[Voidwar]

We should have closed their ports when they rammed our aircraft back in 2001.

I remembered

 

[ludahai]

I remembered

Saw that after I made the post. I wonder how many others remember? I also remember being at the Atlanta Fourth of July Parade that year where the pilot of the plane was honored.

 

[ladilala]

I bet those Chinese guys thought they were soooOOoooo funny. *shakes head in shame*

 

[Voidwar]

I also remember being at the Atlanta Fourth of July Parade that year where the pilot of the plane was honored.

I disagree with this "honoring".

I am not happy with that pilot.

That pilot delivered that plane and those personnel into enemy hands when he should have just ditched into the sea, you know, that big blue thing beneath him that the U.S. Navy OWNS. He took directives from a foreign government, and delivered U.S. property to them. He should have put the plane in the drink, where any idiot know the U.S. navy will win the rescue race.

 

[jallman]

Voidwar is right though...we should have locked down every Chinese vessel in our ports the minute they took that aggressive stance with the plane. "Sure, China, you can have that plane. But all these vessels and the goods they were carrying now belong to the US government. We advise you to not enter our airspace or shipping lanes again."

 

[WI Crippler]

I was actually at the same airbase that plane flew its mission from in Japan. We even went down there to that squadron to pick up some ground support equipment from them that day.

 

[rathi]

Voidwar is right though...we should have locked down every Chinese vessel in our ports the minute they took that aggressive stance with the plane.

Yeah, because pointless crap like that is worth completely obliterating our economy over.

"Sure, China, you can have that plane. But all these vessels and the goods they were carrying now belong to the US government. We advise you to not enter our airspace or shipping lanes again."

And the Chinese response is "Thats fine. Now pay up all the debt that you owe us". Then our economy sinks likes a child actors career after puberty.

Overreacting to posturing is stupid. The U.S. and China have absolutely nothing to gain by fighting each and everything to lose. Unless China does something that is actually a threat, taking drastic action is harmful to our country.

 

[American]

Look it's not like they challenge a ship with a gun on it.

 

[Kernel Sanders]

I'd been wondering what possible reason China could have for its actions. Here's their excuse explanation

Source [Reuters | China says US navy ship was breaking law-HK website]

China said a U.S. naval vessel was conducting illegal surveying off its southern island of Hainan, a Hong Kong television website reported on Tuesday, after the Pentagon said Chinese ships had harassed the vessel in international waters.

[...]

"The U.S. claim about operating in high seas is out of step with the facts," the report quoted the spokesman as saying. "The U.S. navy vessel concerned has been consistently conducting illegal surveying in China's special economic zone," the station quoted the spokesman as saying.

"China believes this contravenes international laws of the sea and China's relevant laws."

Chinese authorities had "repeatedly used diplomatic channels to demand that the U.S. side cease unlawful activities in China's special economic zone", the report added.

Anybody know what laws performing surveilance in international waters violates?

 

[jallman]

Yeah, because pointless crap like that is worth completely obliterating our economy over.



And the Chinese response is "Thats fine. Now pay up all the debt that you owe us". Then our economy sinks likes a child actors career after puberty.

Overreacting to posturing is stupid. The U.S. and China have absolutely nothing to gain by fighting each and everything to lose. Unless China does something that is actually a threat, taking drastic action is harmful to our country.

You people keep acting as if they can just up and demand payment as a form of extortion. They can't and it would hurt China a hell of a lot more than us if we stopped buying their cheap leaded plastic trinkets and stopped shipping out grain to them. Get real.

 

[George VI]

I think the Chinese are just jealous

 

[Zyphlin]

I bet it is a traditional sign of "look at my small penis".

Naturally they're saying they have a very small penis

As a distraction technique....

Oh my god. They're going to bomb the harbor!

Um, yeah. That's just really weird. Though I agree, a few more cases of this and it may ramp up to armed escorts