Five Chinese ships sail Bering Sea as Obama visits Alaska
Reuters
ChinaFotoPress | Getty Images
A file photo of a Chinese Navy ship in Zhoushan, China.
Five Chinese Navy ships are sailing in international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, in an apparent first for China's military that came as U.S. President Barack Obama toured the U.S. state.
Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said it was the first time the United States had seen Chinese navy ships in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Davis said.
The appearance of the ships is an example of the expanding reach of China's navy and overlapped with a three-day visit by Obama to Alaska as part of his efforts to raise awareness about climate change.
Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said it was the first time the United States had seen Chinese navy ships in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Davis said.
The appearance of the ships is an example of the expanding reach of China's navy and overlapped with a three-day visit by Obama to Alaska as part of his efforts to raise awareness about climate change.
Two U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States had identified a Chinese amphibious ship, a replenishment vessel and three surface combatant ships.
None of the ships had been seen acting in an unprofessional or unlawful manner, the officials said, adding that the United States had become aware of their presence in recent days.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said no threatening activity had been detected, and added that the Pentagon was monitoring the movement of the ships "but the intent of this is still unclear."
China has ramped up defense spending to modernize its forces and wants to develop an ocean-going "blue water" navy capable of defending its growing interests as the world's second-largest economy.
On Thursday, China is to hold a massive military parade featuring some 12,000 troops, the highlight of events there marking 70 years since World War Two ended in Asia.
Dean Cheng, a China expert at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, D.C., said the presence of the ships in the Bering Sea was designed to send a message to Washington about China's growing military might.
"It is living up to what the Chinese have been saying, 'We are now a blue water navy. We will operate in the far seas and we are a global presence'," Cheng said.
Melting sea ice has spurred more commercial traffic and China has sought to become more active in the Arctic, where it has said it has important interests.
Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save Chinese companies time and money.
It was not clear whether the presence of the Chinese ships was timed to coincide with Obama's visit or if it followed a recent Chinese-Russian navy exercise.
While the world's two largest economies have important mutual interests, like trying to rein in North Korea's nuclear program, disagreements exist between them including over China's claims in the South China Sea.
China's military buildup, which includes developing stealth fighters and anti-satellite missiles, has unnerved the Asia-Pacific region and Washington, especially since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013 and started taking a tougher line on maritime territorial disputes.
Xi is expected to spend about a week in the United States during the second half of September.
The Heritage Foundation's Cheng said the presence of the ships in the Bering Sea sent a message ahead of Xi's visit, which has been preceded by threats of U.S. action over cyber attacks.
"That message is, in a nutshell, 'Stop pushing us. We are not going to be lectured'," Cheng said.
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/chinese-ships-spotted-off-alaska-coast-report.html
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5 Chinese warships spotted off Alaskan coast
Five Chinese navy ships have been spotted in the Bering Sea, off the Alaska coast, coinciding with President Obama’s visit to the state, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.
Navy Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday the sighting marked the first time ships from the People's Liberation Army Navy were seen in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Urban said.
There are three surface warfare ships, one amphibious assault ship and one supply vessel. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the sighting.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday that the Defense Department "positively identified a number of Chinese naval vessels in that region, but based on their analysis, they have not detected any sort of threat or threatening activities."
The U.S. military reportedly has been aware of the ships and tracking their movements for days as they moved through international waters. Earnest said the intent of the ships' presence "is still unclear” while speaking aboard Air Force One as Obama flew near the Bering Sea.
Obama was in Alaska to speak about 'climate change'.
A massive military parade will begin in Beijing Wednesday night, including some 10,000 soldiers, hundreds of aircraft and weaponry not previously shown in public, according to Chinese state media. The parade is to mark Japan's surrender in World War II. An estimated 14 million Chinese were killed by the Japanese during the war.
Among the invited guests are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, and Mexican government officials, according to the Associated Press.
The massive parade and show of force comes just weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Washington.
Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told reporters Tuesday at the State Dept briefing that China’s human rights were “going to be a key, core issue when President Xi visits Washington.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/02/5-chinese-warships-spotted-off-alaska-coast-during-president-obama-visit/
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The officials said they have been aware in recent days that three Chinese combat ships, a replenishment vessel and an amphibious ship were in the vicinity after observing them moving toward the Aleutian Islands, which are split between U.S. and Russian control.
They said the Chinese ships were still in the area, but declined to specify when the vessels were first spotted or how far they were from the coast of Alaska, where President Barack Obama is winding up a three-day visit.
“This would be a first in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands,” one defense official said of the Chinese ships. “I don’t think we’d characterize anything they’re doing as threatening.”
Pentagon officials also said there was no information suggesting the Chinese ships had gone through the Bering Strait, a narrow waterway north of the sea that abuts Alaska.
China’s defense ministry could not be reached for comment.
The presence of the Chinese ships so close to U.S. shores is the latest demonstration of how China’s military is rapidly expanding its operations far from its shores to protect the nation’s growing global interests.
The Chinese naval activity comes as Mr. Obama visits Alaska and the Arctic region to highlight climate change. The naval operation also comes just before Chinese President Xi Jinping presides over a World War II Victory Day parade on Thursday that the U.S. and its allies fear is being used to showcase China’s newfound military strength and ambition.
Mr. Xi is heading to the U.S. in late September for a state visit already overshadowed by tensions over Chinese military activity, including alleged cyber-attacks on the U.S., and island-building in the South China Sea.
China says its military activities are not designed to threaten any other nation but are expanding in tandem with its economic power, as well as its interests and responsibilities around the world.
The Pentagon official said there were a “variety of opinions” on how to interpret the Chinese ships’ deployment.
“It’s difficult to tell exactly, but it indicates some interest in the Arctic region,” the official said. “It’s different.”
China has shown growing interest in using the so-called Northern Sea Route to transport goods between Asia and the West via the Arctic in recent years as melting polar ice has eased access for shipping. The route can take several days less than the journey via the Suez Canal.
The first Chinese vessel to sail the entire Northern Sea Route was an icebreaker called the Snow Dragon in 2012 and some Chinese commercial ships have used the route since, according to state media.
Beijing also has shown growing interest in exploiting energy resources in the Arctic region and in 2013 became a permanent observer to the Arctic Council, whose members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
A search of Chinese state media and military statements online revealed no record of any previous naval deployment to the Bering Sea.
China and Russia held joint naval exercises off the Russian Pacific coast–about 2,000 miles west of the Bering Sea–between Aug. 20 and 28, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Seven Chinese ships took part, including two destroyers, two frigates, two landing ships and one supply ship, Xinhua said but it gave no details about where the vessels went afterward.
China’s navy confined itself to patrolling the nation’s coast for the first five decades after the Communist takeover in 1949. But in the past few years, it has ventured deep into the Pacific and Indian Oceans and even the Mediterranean Sea.
The Chinese navy has taken part in antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 and held joint naval drills with Russia in the Mediterranean in May. Last year, Chinese navy ships made their debut at U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific, or Rimpac, joint naval drills in Hawaii.
U.S. officials said an uninvited Chinese spy ship observed the Rimpac drills from international waters just off Hawaii. China’s defense ministry said at the time its ship operations complied with international law.
http://www.ibloomberg.net/pentagon-watches-as-chinese-navy-ships-sail-in-bering-sea/
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Appears that Russia and now China are making it VERY CLEAR to the rogue criminal U.S.A. corporation in Washington, DC that they have had ENOUGH, and things are getting progressively more serious and heated toward a full blown war on US soil.
None of the ships had been seen acting in an unprofessional or unlawful manner, the officials said, adding that the United States had become aware of their presence in recent days.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said no threatening activity had been detected, and added that the Pentagon was monitoring the movement of the ships "but the intent of this is still unclear."
China has ramped up defense spending to modernize its forces and wants to develop an ocean-going "blue water" navy capable of defending its growing interests as the world's second-largest economy.
On Thursday, China is to hold a massive military parade featuring some 12,000 troops, the highlight of events there marking 70 years since World War Two ended in Asia.
Dean Cheng, a China expert at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, D.C., said the presence of the ships in the Bering Sea was designed to send a message to Washington about China's growing military might.
"It is living up to what the Chinese have been saying, 'We are now a blue water navy. We will operate in the far seas and we are a global presence'," Cheng said.
Melting sea ice has spurred more commercial traffic and China has sought to become more active in the Arctic, where it has said it has important interests.
Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save Chinese companies time and money.
It was not clear whether the presence of the Chinese ships was timed to coincide with Obama's visit or if it followed a recent Chinese-Russian navy exercise.
While the world's two largest economies have important mutual interests, like trying to rein in North Korea's nuclear program, disagreements exist between them including over China's claims in the South China Sea.
China's military buildup, which includes developing stealth fighters and anti-satellite missiles, has unnerved the Asia-Pacific region and Washington, especially since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013 and started taking a tougher line on maritime territorial disputes.
Xi is expected to spend about a week in the United States during the second half of September.
The Heritage Foundation's Cheng said the presence of the ships in the Bering Sea sent a message ahead of Xi's visit, which has been preceded by threats of U.S. action over cyber attacks.
"That message is, in a nutshell, 'Stop pushing us. We are not going to be lectured'," Cheng said.
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/chinese-ships-spotted-off-alaska-coast-report.html
*********************************************************************
5 Chinese warships spotted off Alaskan coast
Navy Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday the sighting marked the first time ships from the People's Liberation Army Navy were seen in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Urban said.
There are three surface warfare ships, one amphibious assault ship and one supply vessel. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the sighting.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday that the Defense Department "positively identified a number of Chinese naval vessels in that region, but based on their analysis, they have not detected any sort of threat or threatening activities."
The U.S. military reportedly has been aware of the ships and tracking their movements for days as they moved through international waters. Earnest said the intent of the ships' presence "is still unclear” while speaking aboard Air Force One as Obama flew near the Bering Sea.
June 24, 2014: The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy replenishment ship Qiandaohu (866) (L) sails past the PLA Navy hospital ship, Peace Ark, as it docks at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam to participate in the multi-national military exercise RIMPAC 2014, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (REUTERS/Hugh Gentry)
Obama was in Alaska to speak about 'climate change'.
A massive military parade will begin in Beijing Wednesday night, including some 10,000 soldiers, hundreds of aircraft and weaponry not previously shown in public, according to Chinese state media. The parade is to mark Japan's surrender in World War II. An estimated 14 million Chinese were killed by the Japanese during the war.
Among the invited guests are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, and Mexican government officials, according to the Associated Press.
The massive parade and show of force comes just weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Washington.
Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told reporters Tuesday at the State Dept briefing that China’s human rights were “going to be a key, core issue when President Xi visits Washington.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/02/5-chinese-warships-spotted-off-alaska-coast-during-president-obama-visit/
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Pentagon Watches as Chinese Navy Ships Sail in Bering Sea
Five Chinese navy ships are currently operating in the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska, the first time the U.S. military has seen such activity in the area, Pentagon officials said on Wednesday.The officials said they have been aware in recent days that three Chinese combat ships, a replenishment vessel and an amphibious ship were in the vicinity after observing them moving toward the Aleutian Islands, which are split between U.S. and Russian control.
They said the Chinese ships were still in the area, but declined to specify when the vessels were first spotted or how far they were from the coast of Alaska, where President Barack Obama is winding up a three-day visit.
“This would be a first in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands,” one defense official said of the Chinese ships. “I don’t think we’d characterize anything they’re doing as threatening.”
Pentagon officials also said there was no information suggesting the Chinese ships had gone through the Bering Strait, a narrow waterway north of the sea that abuts Alaska.
China’s defense ministry could not be reached for comment.
The presence of the Chinese ships so close to U.S. shores is the latest demonstration of how China’s military is rapidly expanding its operations far from its shores to protect the nation’s growing global interests.
The Chinese naval activity comes as Mr. Obama visits Alaska and the Arctic region to highlight climate change. The naval operation also comes just before Chinese President Xi Jinping presides over a World War II Victory Day parade on Thursday that the U.S. and its allies fear is being used to showcase China’s newfound military strength and ambition.
Mr. Xi is heading to the U.S. in late September for a state visit already overshadowed by tensions over Chinese military activity, including alleged cyber-attacks on the U.S., and island-building in the South China Sea.
China says its military activities are not designed to threaten any other nation but are expanding in tandem with its economic power, as well as its interests and responsibilities around the world.
The Pentagon official said there were a “variety of opinions” on how to interpret the Chinese ships’ deployment.
“It’s difficult to tell exactly, but it indicates some interest in the Arctic region,” the official said. “It’s different.”
China has shown growing interest in using the so-called Northern Sea Route to transport goods between Asia and the West via the Arctic in recent years as melting polar ice has eased access for shipping. The route can take several days less than the journey via the Suez Canal.
The first Chinese vessel to sail the entire Northern Sea Route was an icebreaker called the Snow Dragon in 2012 and some Chinese commercial ships have used the route since, according to state media.
Beijing also has shown growing interest in exploiting energy resources in the Arctic region and in 2013 became a permanent observer to the Arctic Council, whose members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
A search of Chinese state media and military statements online revealed no record of any previous naval deployment to the Bering Sea.
China and Russia held joint naval exercises off the Russian Pacific coast–about 2,000 miles west of the Bering Sea–between Aug. 20 and 28, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Seven Chinese ships took part, including two destroyers, two frigates, two landing ships and one supply ship, Xinhua said but it gave no details about where the vessels went afterward.
China’s navy confined itself to patrolling the nation’s coast for the first five decades after the Communist takeover in 1949. But in the past few years, it has ventured deep into the Pacific and Indian Oceans and even the Mediterranean Sea.
The Chinese navy has taken part in antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 and held joint naval drills with Russia in the Mediterranean in May. Last year, Chinese navy ships made their debut at U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific, or Rimpac, joint naval drills in Hawaii.
U.S. officials said an uninvited Chinese spy ship observed the Rimpac drills from international waters just off Hawaii. China’s defense ministry said at the time its ship operations complied with international law.
http://www.ibloomberg.net/pentagon-watches-as-chinese-navy-ships-sail-in-bering-sea/
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Appears that Russia and now China are making it VERY CLEAR to the rogue criminal U.S.A. corporation in Washington, DC that they have had ENOUGH, and things are getting progressively more serious and heated toward a full blown war on US soil.
1 comment:
Who gives a damn. No body owns the sea. It aint ours to say, stay out! Do you think we don't have our nose in every other countries business? Russia and China are the good guys. We, the USA, are the bad guys. We go around the world telling everybody else to do as we say; not as we do. It's the old pot calling the kettle black syndrome.
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