China announces joint naval, air drills with Russia

But we should never ever have countries join Blocs we are told.

The Chinese bring the spare parts and the life jackets. The Russians bring the maps to they don’t get lost.

There is no bloc or formal military alliance. Two neighbours doing what good neighbours do.

JJEToday 07:05 am JST

There is no bloc or formal military alliance. Two neighbours doing what good neighbours do.

Oh I see I see. It can't be a bloc unless it is in writing and greater than two countries. Interesting.

More German/NATO aggression. This is how it works; the party that 'wears the pants' gets their proxy forces to conduct provocations and they use this as a pretext.

Beijing will punish some German companies, cut-off market access etc for this transgression by Berlin, which needs a reality check.

Excellent..

The most powerful combination in the world in action..

Let's go BRICS, for a new multipolar world order!!..

But we should never ever have countries join Blocs we are told.

Oh I see I see. It can't be a bloc unless it is in writing and greater than two countries. Interesting.

Russia, China and the growing BRICS group are a bloc.

Just like the decadent group of the G7 or NATO, which are all a circus of losers commanded by another loser bigger than them..

LOL

JJEToday 07:14 am JST

More German/NATO aggression.

Transiting international waters is not aggression. Peking won't want to do something stupid that will harm their economy further.

Not international waters - Beijing's waters.

Outside of 12 nautical miles from China and Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait is International Waters.

Only China adheres to the fantasy that it is Chinese waters in defiance of global opinion ans internationally established protocols.

@OA Is that what you are getting from the PRC MOFA statement because I am not.

Mao Ning: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. We made our position clear on similar questions. The waters of the Taiwan Strait, from both shores toward the middle of the Strait, are China’s internal waters, then territorial sea, then contiguous zone, and then exclusive economic zone. China respects countries’ right to navigation in relevant waters in accordance with China’s laws and international law, including UNCLOS. But we firmly oppose any act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation by relevant countries that harms China’s sovereignty and security.

JJEToday 08:49 am JST

Not international waters - Beijing's waters.

Is it greater than 12 nm from the shore? Then it is international waters six ways from Sunday.

deanzaZZRToday 09:45 am JST

Basically "we only follow UNCLOS when we want to".

Well, this admin single-handedly got two rivals that have not become quite close allies. Bad, bad move...

ok and so what now?

other side doing same thing as well...?

i dont see why some of you must be "excited" about?

bass4funkToday 11:08 am JST

Well, this admin single-handedly got two rivals that have not become quite close allies. Bad, bad move...

They've been allies for years. They are only closer because the current president is not a foreign asset and is applying pressure to them.

Well, this admin single-handedly got two rivals that have not become quite close allies. Bad, bad move...

Rivals that have not become allies?

You frequently type the opposite of what you are actually trying to say.

Russia and China have a shared border. It measures 4,209.3 kilometers (2,615.5 mi) and is the world's sixth-longest international border. They have had a relationship since the PRC was formed.

Trump imposed more sanctions on Russia and China than Biden who just kept the Trump ones.

"The Trump administration imposed nearly $80 billion worth of new taxes on Americans by levying tariffs on thousands of products valued at approximately $380 billion in 2018 and 2019, amounting to one of the largest tax increases in decades."

https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-biden-tariffs/

Trump's tax cuts turned out to be tax increases.

These “bandit nations” have to stick up for each other.

China supplies machine parts and manufactured goods at a price cheaper than those in Russia. Russia supplies China with gas and oil. New pipeline to be constructed via Mongolia.

There is only one UN-recognized country. Beijing has a legitimate claim to those waters.

Rivals that have not become allies? 

You frequently type the opposite of what you are actually trying to say.

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant, has become my bad.

Trump's tax cuts turned out to be tax increases.

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/584190-irs-data-prove-trump-tax-cuts-benefited-middle-working-class-americans-most/

They've been allies for years. They are only closer because the current president is not a foreign asset and is applying pressure to them.

Not like they are now thanks to Biden.

Rivals that have not become allies? 

You frequently type the opposite of what you are actually trying to say.

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant, has become my bad.

So you actually meant have become, right? Well, close enough.

They are only closer because the current president is not a foreign asset and is applying pressure to them.

Current POTUS hardly knows which beach he is on. Whoever is running the White House it isn't Joe.

Current POTUS hardly knows which beach he is on. Whoever is running the White House it isn't Joe.

He definitely knows having dealt with both men, but like the now forcefully retired Biden, he can get that respect that Biden and Blinken never got.

JJEToday 11:44 am JST

There is only one UN-recognized country. Beijing has a legitimate claim to those waters.

More recognition than Russia's disgraces.

burgers and beersToday 12:36 pm JST

They are only closer because the current president is not a foreign asset and is applying pressure to them.

Current POTUS hardly knows which beach he is on. Whoever is running the White House it isn't Joe.

Still killed 100k Russians and blocked their war of aggression.

Still killed 100k Russians and blocked their war of aggression.

Cool, how so? US is not involved in Ukraine conflict according to Washington mouthpieces.

bass4funk

Trump's tax cuts turned out to be tax increases.

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/584190-irs-data-prove-trump-tax-cuts-benefited-middle-working-class-americans-most

Most economists agree the tax cuts were wiped out by the Trump tariffs.

Most economists agree the tax cuts were wiped out by the Trump tariffs.

Most of the liberal and Progressive economists think so, this is true, but when you look on paper at the overall results pertaining to small businesses and entrepreneurs, they benefitted greatly from the tax cuts.

Again, why do you think Trump beats Kamala by 12 points when it comes to the economy, she doesn't even come remotely close.

Regardless of one's position on the relevance of non-UN recognized, non-related areas, the single most provable fact of this article is that Beijing's claim over the strait is quite decent as it is consistent with traditional territory administered from that city and overall wider country.

To deny this historical and geographical fact is akin to pumping smoke through a transparent trumpet, while pretending the 11-dash line never existed. Beijing's assertion that the strait does not qualify as being international waters is perfectly valid.

Life is an interesting process. People keep themselves fit by doing drills in the gym, on open grounds, in space, on water, or even under water. When age takes its toll, the same drill masters quietly retire in the homes for the aged and look out from their windows new generations indulging in the age old rituals of doing drills all over again.

JJEToday 05:24 pm JST

Regardless of one's position on the relevance of non-UN recognized, non-related areas, the single most provable fact of this article is that Beijing's claim over the strait is quite decent as it is consistent with traditional territory administered from that city and overall wider country.

To deny this historical and geographical fact is akin to pumping smoke through a transparent trumpet, while pretending the 11-dash line never existed. Beijing's assertion that the strait does not qualify as being international waters is perfectly valid.

1) Important to note that that the UNCLOS tribunal invalidated China's 9-dash (now 10-dash) line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea_Arbitration#Award

2) Important to note that UNCLOS supersedes any "historic rights," such as the original 11-dash line.

3) Important to note that China has ratified UNCLOS, and is bound by the tribunal's decision.

4) Important to note that China's claims are therefore unlawful.

JJEToday 10:43 pm JST

All falsehoods.

I'm afraid not. Every point is provably true.

Read the UNCLOS tribunal ruling, and the list of states that have ratified the treaty. It's all there in black and white, and calling it "falsehoods" simply shows you are denying reality.

Arbitration is contingent on relevant the parties agreeing to it. Also relevant to note Taiwan doesn't accept the ruling.

To make it clear, UNCLOS allows for transit of a nation's strait only for transit. Do USA and now German naval ships adhere to this condition when passing through the Taiwan Strait? We will never know but certainly China has a lot of data on what those ships are doing.

Transit passage means the exercise in accordance with this Part of the freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit of the strait between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone.

--- UNCLOS Article 38 Right of Transit Passage

It continues:

Article 39

Duties of ships and aircraft during transit passage

Ships and aircraft, while exercising the right of transit passage, shall: (a) proceed without delay through or over the strait;

(b) refrain from any threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of States bordering the strait, or in any other manner in violation of the principles of international law embodied in the Charter of the United Nations;

deanzaZZRToday 12:43 am JST

Just because China gaslights threats doesn't mean it gets to violate treaties.

Peking's assertion that the Taiwan Straight is not international waters is completely worthless. It would have to be declared an archipelagic state and win ww3 for it to be so.

That statement makes precisely no sense.

Beijing claims the strait based on the very reasonable notion of Taiwan being part of China.

JJEToday 01:08 am JST

Beijing claims the strait based on the very reasonable notion of Taiwan being part of China.

Peking has no physical control over Taiwan and can't send its ships to the territorial sea of Taiwan.

Oh, I see.

If one lacks 'physical control' and can't send its ships, then the territorial claim is null and void.

How convenient.

Shame this logic can't be applied elsewhere.

JJEToday 02:01 am JST

If one lacks 'physical control' and can't send its ships, then the territorial claim is null and void.

Well the strait is also much larger than the 30 nm across or even 60 nm across. No legal justification for harassing transiters six ways from Sunday.

Doesn't matter as Beijing has committed to reunification one way or the other.

International law, with regards to UN-recognized countries, and public decency, indicate mainland China has a legitimate claim with cement foundations.

UNCLOS means the strait is Beijing's too. Taipei has no rights six ways from Sunday to even dream of claiming someone else's rightful property.

JJEToday 04:20 am JST

UNCLOS means the strait is Beijing's too.

Not unless the PRC is an archipelago. As laughable a concept as the claim.

Taipei has no rights six ways from Sunday to even dream of claiming someone else's rightful property.

Taiwan is the original government of China. It is the PRC with the illegitimate claim. Public decency demands that it be so.

'Taiwan' was never the "original government of China" in any way, shape or form.

The illegal political forces in Taiwan lost the civil war plain and straight - there is no runners-up-prize, especially for a bunch of fascist blue shirts or whoever they pretend to be now.

Beijing is the UN-recognized leader of all of China. And this goes for the strait and Taiwan. Bottomline.

JJEToday  05:34 am JST

'Taiwan' was never the "original government of China" in any way, shape or form.

Semantics, coincidentally the only thing the PRC controls in this dispute.

The illegal political forces in Taiwan lost the civil war plain and straight - there is no runners-up-prize, especially for a bunch of fascist blue shirts or whoever they pretend to be now.

Nothing illegal about them: only the Russian and similarly less reputable people believe a civil war has to be all or nothing. The only fascists today are in the China/Russia cabal.

Beijing is the UN-recognized leader of all of China. And this goes for the strait and Taiwan. Bottomline.

The UN in its rent seeking wisdom has never ruled on what is China. Also certain scummy countries have a ton of UN violations under their belt along their borders. Bottomline.

Apparently some in the China peanut gallery did not understand UNCLOS and the relevant articles related to transit passage of a nation's strait. Cat meet tongue.