Yesterday, reports of Chinese and US naval maneuvers off the coast of Hainan Island, demonstrate an underlying tension between the two countries. The US Navy was operating in international waters when China began initiating provacative and clearly aggressive actions against the US Ship Impeccable, almost causing a collision between the two vessels:
In a dangerous high-seas game of chicken, five Chinese boats harassed and came perilously close to colliding with a U.S. Naval surveillance ship off the coast of Hainan Island Sunday, after the Chinese military ordered the ship to leave the area or “suffer the consequences.” The Navy dispatched a destroyer, the USS Chung-Hoon, to the vicinity as a precaution.
[snip]
After repeated attempts to reach the Chinese ships over “bridge-to-bridge” radios failed, the crew of the unarmed Impeccable took defensive measures, turning firehoses on one of the Chinese ships, at which point the Chinese crewmembers on deck stripped down to their underwear.[emphasis mine]
Ok, there is a lot about this that reeks, but I have a question- what is with the Chinese crewmembers stripping down to their underwear? When the US sprayed them with the water hoses, they of course got wet, but to strip down right there immediately seems a bit strange, unless I am missing something?
And in other depressing news from China, today (Tuesday, March 10) marks the anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising 50 years ago and the resulting flight into exile by the Dalai Lama. On this anniversary, the Dalai Lama has this to say:
“These 50 years have brought untold suffering and destruction to the land and people of Tibet,” the 73-year-old spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists said from exile in Dharamsala, India. “Today, the religion, culture, language and identity … are nearing extinction; in short, the Tibetan people are regarded like criminals deserving to be put to death.”
I blogged ad nauseum about China’s whimsical disregard for human rights, here and the recently-stated US response from our Secretary of State, here.
For the past five or so months, Chinese troops have been making their way into Tibet to quash any “uprising”, but what they will really be quashing is any pro-Dalai Lama speech, observance of Tibetan Buddhism or peaceful pro-Tibet gatherings. Based up past experience with the Chinese government, the people of Tibet also know that the Chinese military will go into the monesteries and round up monks and nuns and imprison and torture them unless they denounce the Dalai Lama. A couple of months ago, the Chinese authorities rounded up at least 50 people in Tibet for “spreading rumors”.
And our politicians are worried about Cuba?
Stumble It!
4 responses so far ↓
1 stacy // Mar 11, 2009 at 8:45 am
“Stripping” or “mooning” the enemy to taunt them is something that has been done for a thousand or two years. Russians and Chinese used to moon each other during the cold war period in the frontier areas when there was tension. You saw in in the movie “Braveheart” which was a reasonably common thing. I think there are a couple references to it in the Civil War.
China is “being assertive”. It is a strong nation and it is beginning to exercise that strength. This is natural for them. Especially in their “sphere of influence”. It is a part of their ruling culture that goes back at least 2500 years. They tend to NOT go much outside what they believe their region, however. They basically will strongly operate in Asia, but do not venture much to the Atlantic or South Asia (except for its competition with India).From Thailand, north to N. Korea, and west to Guam, and East to Afghanistan is what they think is their “sphere”, and they resent other “powers” from entering into that area without “invitation”.
Its kind of their version of Roosevelt’s claiming all of the Western Hemisphere to being the “sphere” of the US interests and telling Europe to tread softly.
2 tehehehe // Mar 11, 2009 at 8:46 am
Sorry “Stacy”. Somehow you name was in the “Name” box on comments, and I missed it and forgot to put in my name on the above!
3 stacyb // Mar 11, 2009 at 10:29 am
That’s kind of strange that my name comes up on your comment form- it comes up on mine because I type it in and it remembers.
4 tehehehe // Mar 11, 2009 at 2:27 pm
You got me. I can’t explain it either!
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