US - China relations

Report to Congress on South China Sea Disputes​

From the Report​

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Chinese Shipper COSCO Collects Intel for Beijing With Concealed Equipment

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO uses concealed equipment on board its ships to spy on military communications near the coastlines of target nations including the U.S., two...

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• Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to the U.S. for his first state visit since the Obama administration.
• That May summit started “a U-turn in China-U.S. relations,” said Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy.
• Any discussion over Taiwan is expected to take a back seat to Iran.

Xi delivers humiliating warning to Trump amid lavish White House welcome: report​

• American businesses ramped up orders for Chinese goods in the weeks leading up to the summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.
• The upswing, on both a monthly and yearly basis, came as businesses positioned for a friendlier outcome at the summit.
• Eurasia Group raised its odds of continued stability in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship to the highest level since Trump returned to office.

Chinese Cutters, Warships Block Philippine Resupply Mission to Second Thomas Shoal​

China has just taken 5 actions in 168 hours. All focused on Taiwan. None has a name.

And no one is connecting the dots.

Action 1: More than 100 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels are spread across the western Pacific.
Taiwan said on November 3 that they were already in position.
4 task groups from 3 military theater commands stretch across the area between Taiwan and Guam.
A wall separating Taiwan from its friends.

Action 2: 2 of China's 3 aircraft carriers are at sea at the same time.
The Liaoning carrier group is in the Philippine Sea.
The newest carrier, Fujian, left Hainan on November 2 and headed east.
The third carrier, Shandong, left dry dock on November 1 for sea trials.
The carriers have been deployed.

Action 3: On November 2 alone, Chinese military aircraft flew 49 sorties.
36 of those sorties were flown south of Taiwan.
The skies have joined the action at sea.

Action 4: A second, closer ring of encirclement.
At least 6 coast guard vessels, plus naval ships, surround Taiwan's main island.
As of 6 a.m. today: 10 Chinese navy vessels and 3 government vessels.
The ring is still there.

Action 5: No announcement. No name.
Beijing gave names to all 4 of its recent large-scale exercises encircling Taiwan.
ISW: This may indicate that China can cut Taiwan off from the outside world by air and sea whenever it wants.

Before all this:
Pakistan closed its airspace to all Taiwanese airlines.
4 Chinese research vessels are lingering or slowing down above the undersea cables connecting Taiwan to the world.

Connect the dots:

More than 100 ships = a wall before Guam
2 carriers deployed = the outer ring
49 sorties = a ring of encirclement in the sky
Ships around the island = the inner ring
No name = no warning next time

This is not chaos.
This is a blockade drill.

One ship after another.
One ring after another.
No invasion needed.

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