The US Is ‘Encircling China With Military Bases’

empire-in-asia

John Reed at Foreign Policy describes “how the U.S. is encircling China with military bases.”

The U.S. military is encircling China with a chain of air bases and military ports. The latest link: a small airstrip on the tiny Pacific island of Saipan. The U.S. Air Force is planning to lease 33 acres of land on the island for the next 50 years to build a “divert airfield” on an old World War II airbase there. But the residents don’t want it. And the Chinese are in no mood to be surrounded by Americans.

…In addition to the site on Saipan, the Air Force plans to send aircraft on regular deployments to bases ranging from Australia to India as part of its bulked up force in the Pacific. These plans include regular deployments to Royal Australian Air Force bases at Darwin and Tindal, Changi East air base in Singapore, Korat air base in Thailand, Trivandrum in India, and possibly bases at Cubi Point and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines and airfields in Indonesia and Malaysia, a top U.S. Air Force general revealed last month.

As I’ve written in the past, these Pentagon plans are part of the Air-Sea Battle strategy. The idea is to have enough US bases and Air Force capabilities peppered throughout the region so that China would be too surrounded to safely attack in the event of a conflict.

“Stealthy American bombers and submarines would knock out China’s long-range surveillance radar and precision missile systems located deep inside the country,” reports the Washington Post.  ”The initial ‘blinding campaign’ would be followed by a larger air and naval assault.”

Not surprisingly, Beijing is none-too-pleased with the fact that Washington is planning contingencies to “battle” China, and militarily encircling China in the Pacific. Imagine the calls for war in Washington if China was backing various Latin American countries with money and weapons and building air and naval bases in the Caribbean with the explicit aim of bombing United States to smithereens.

“Some Asia analysts worry that conventional strikes aimed at China could spark a nuclear war,” according to the Washington Post. Other “critics see a dangerous tendency toward alarmism that is exaggerating the China threat to drive up defense spending.”

No, China has not threatened the U.S. with attack. It has not challenged core “U.S. interests.” The Obama administration simply objects to China’s growing economy and military. Such powers are reserved for America, goes the thinking. So, we’ll threaten anyone who challenges that with war.

105 thoughts on “The US Is ‘Encircling China With Military Bases’”

  1. Pingback: The US Is ‘Encircling China With Military Bases’ | Alternative News Alert!

  2. the two minutes of hate have been reruns for a while now, getting tired of Islam-o-fascism©
    im looking forward to some fresh material on whom to hate and fear.

  3. best part of this post is Some Asia analysts worry that conventional strikes aimed at China could spark a nuclear war
    thanks
    Regards
    Emily.Bronte

      1. the first targets in nuclear war would be nuclear launch sites. none of which are in dc.
        and if the united states where to launch all its weapons it would end human civilization

  4. China will be buying (or maybe homesteading) those bases once the US empire goes bankrupt. The Chinese should be thanking the US for the future capital goods.

  5. The US has no more money to wage "war." One trillion have has been sunk into Afghanistan and Iraq and both have been failures. Where's the money going to come from? The economies of America's financier's (Japan & China) aren't doing so hot these days and the US military is facing sequestering for the first time.

    The writing is on the wall for the empire and it's high time that these ideologues get it through their skulls.

  6. Pingback: The US Is ‘Encircling China With Military Bases’ | The State Weekly

  7. we see the hatred towards persons perceived as Muslim because of Americas activities, We saw what America did to American Citizens of Japanese extraction during WWII, now consider this there are tens of millions of persons of Chinese ancestry in America, what is going to happen to them if there is a war or in fact minor hostilities.

    It will be interesting if the US starts to really become belligerent to the Chinese, WHO will it get its money from because the Republicans will not allow congress to do what is needed in a war economy that is stop war profiteering and increase taxes!

    1. there are not tens of millions of people of Chinese ancestry in the U.S., there's about 3.8 million according to wikipedia. — Also many people of Chinese ancestry in the U.S. are very anti-China, since many of them either fled China decades ago or are very pro-democracy and freedom, and anti-authoritarianism. Recent immigrants would fall under suspicion, but don't expect internment camps…

  9. “Stealthy American bombers and submarines would knock out China’s long-range surveillance radar and precision missile systems located deep inside the country,…The initial ‘blinding campaign’ would be followed by a larger air and naval assault.”
    —
    “Some Asia analysts worry that conventional strikes aimed at China could spark a nuclear war,” according to the Washington Post.
    ===
    You gotta love it. Imagine these idiots planning war with China. Nuclear war? Ah, yeah! What a bunch of dunces.

  10. On the other hand the 'new' alignment of (old) forces could be considered as 'keeping the lid on' some very marginal, but strategically important, 'interests' in SE Asia – the Philippines and Indonesia to name two. When they start building bases in Mongolia and Russia the Chinese can start to worry.

  11. So what do we do if China does not attack us but just continues its pursuit of diplomatic relations and trade with other countries? And suppose, as a result, it continues to become richer and more influential. How do you stop that with bombs and guns and military bases? The Chinese are also our bankers and help us finance our deficit by buying our treasury securities. They also make much of the stuff we buy and form an important market for the stuff we sell.

    Of course, the real reason for all this is contained in a few words in the middle of the story:

    "…exaggerating the China threat to drive up defense spending.”

    1. same thing was said of the Japanese about 20 to 25 years ago…and you can see where they are now….their economy has stagnated, population is aging, and BIG surprise …the new generation does not want to work the same long hours their parents did. sounds familiar…China does have nice fat money reserves but most of that money is in U.S. Bonds and U.S. currency…so if our dollar devalues so does their reserves…and if we default on the bonds their reserves become worthless.

  12. The US would encircle a dog pile if they thought they could get something out of it.

  13. How does the USSA expect to fight a war with China? Everything in the USSA is made in China including their soldiers shoes and their flags.

  14. It would be an old fashioned war because the only reason to go to war with China is money.

  16. *Anti-war activists are still fixated on Iran, but not Brzezinski is not – his target is China, TWENTY times bigger than Iran, with ICBMs ready to launch, followed by Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power. Such confused activists need to focus on stopping the next war – the final global showdown with Pakistan, China, and Russia. That means rejecting Brzezinski's puppet candidate Obama* http://rense.com/general81/abig.htm

    the writing had been on the wall yrs ago, but murikkans want their prez for *change* :-(

  18. The Chinese are patient people. Let America overextend its empire, go further in debt, create more discomfort with the rest of the world – it´s their choice. The end results are pretty obvious, at least to the long term thinking Chinese mind.

  22. The US has no more money to wage "war." One trillion have has been sunk into Afghanistan and Iraq and both have been failures. Where's the money going to come from? The economies of America's financier's (Japan & China) aren't doing so hot these days and the US military is facing sequestering for the first time.

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  34. In reality there is no way for the United States to compete with China in weapons manufacturing, the economy is to different.

    If you were to explore the cost of goods for each party you would see that for every 10 dollars we spend they only have to spend 1 dollar to keep up, if they spend an equal amount they can make 10 to our one.

    That is why the United States wants control of the oil industry to be able to use it to dominate China and keep oil prices high. This is being done with the help of Israel because they want the land in the middle east the US wants the oil, its a mutual interest.

  35. Wrong! This article is a diversion. It’s a lie. If you really take a look at the map, the plan is not to encircle China. The plan is to encircle Indonesia instead!!! Look at the bases that the US is propping up. The air bases in Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Saipan & Guam. All of them are actually trying to encircle Indonesia!!! It’s too far away from China! If the US really wants to encircle China, it should have it air bases around Vietnam, Laos & Taiwan. This is just a diversion, a war tactic. To let the victim off guard! But the real target is INDONESIA!!! Not China! The US would be foolish enough to go to war with China, & they know if they go to war with China, with its nuclear weapons, it would be suicidal! But the coming war with Indonesia would not be suicidal for them, as Indonesia didn’t have any nuclear weapons. A lion (The US) would not be stupid enough to pick a fight with a well-guarded & prepared Dragon (China). But a sleeping & an unprepared Garuda (Indonesia) would be an easier meal for the hungry lion (The US) to ambush.

  36. For whatever reason it may be, as long as there'd be peace and order between countries so with the other neighboring places "THAT WILL BE THE FIRST PRIORITY"

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  44. What's the US to China for encircling is very foolish , because the rise of China as the superpower then you find way to suppress them to spark the enmity as the fact is the act to destabilize the global peace , since the second World War , any war is seemed to be disastrous , many ppl will die without any meaning. US as the superpower as the leader in the world they should do any constructive move to navigate and drive the countries in the world to harmony.

  45. Now, I must say that I pretty amazed at how greatly you've written this post. I wasn't expecting you to deliver so much in one day. Anyways, I loved this post and keep the good work going! Cheers!

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