- War “inevitable” if U.S. meddles in South China Sea – Global Times- Senior NATO official warns that “we’ll probably be at war this summer”- Soros warns of ‘New World Order’ and war with China- Soros warns could be “on the threshold of a Third World War”- Many countries in Pacific lay claim to strategically important and mineral rich islands- Tensions between U.S. and China and Russia escalating- War would have many facets including cyber-warfare andcurrency wars
George Soros
The ‘war’ word is being increasingly heard internationally as the U.S., EU, Russia and China adopt provocative postures over various disputes including Ukraine and in the Pacific.
War with the U.S. is “inevitable” if the U.S. involves itself in the dispute which has arisen over the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea according to China’s state controlled newspaper the Global Times.
“If the United States’ bottom line is that China is to halt activities, then a US-China war is inevitable in the South China Sea” according to an editorial in the popular government paper.
China has since last year been taking over a greater part of the long-disputed Spratleys and has begun land reclamation projects to make the archipelago a part of its sovereign territory. The move angered many of its neighbours like the Philippines and Vietnam who also claim the islands.
Geographically, the archipelago is close to the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. However, China has maintained a presence in the region on and off for centuries which is the basis for its claim.
The islands are believed to be located over large reserves of undersea oil and are also strategically vital as a shipping corridor through which vast amounts of goods are shipped. The islands also provide a platform from which China could project military power into the afore-mentioned countries.
Tensions between the U.S. and China, while low-key in other regards, have been escalating with China responding angrily to U.S. reconnaissance flights in the region.
The Global Times suggests that China is not daunted by a military conflict with the U.S. – “We do not want a military conflict with the United States, but if it were to come, we have to accept it.”
Indeed, The Wall Street Journal has shown that in terms of conventional warfare China is the undisputed heavyweight in the region with a massive airforce and navy – see infographic.
The Chinese are utterly scathing of U.S. “meddling” in the South China Sea, thousands of miles from its own borders and clearly views itself as the new hegemon in the region. This seemingly innocuous dispute has the potential to rapidly spiral out of control.
There are also simmering tensions between China and Japan.
Both have long held claims to the Japanese-administered islands — known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. Tensions have intensified in recent months, and observers fear that a political or military misstep could rapidly escalate.
In late 2013, China announced an air defense zone over the East China Sea, encompassing the disputed islands. The new policy would require airlines to give Chinese authorities their flight plans before entering the airspace designated by China.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the new policy “escalates the situation and could lead to an unexpected occurrence of accidents in the airspace.” The United States called China’s announcement “unnecessarily inflammatory.”
Military posturing is quietly reaching new extremes in Europe, the Mediterranean and the South China Sea and the provocative bluster is reaching new heights.
Separately, it is believed that a senior NATO official has warned that “we’ll probably be at war this summer.”
