China's aircraft carrier heads to South China Sea

The air group for this paper tiger is non existent. So this is largely a Hollywood move, and hardly one that is designed to help ease tensions. A big mistake really i fear for even tho they have ships in a group that does not make it a trained task force, and hardly can one say 'sea trials" are any sort of active exercise.

Another odd and bizarre stunt by China.

Chinese navy ships on their way to the South China Sea have increasingly transited through the Miyako Strait in Japan's Okinawa island chain. While the strait is an international waterway, Japan's military pays close attention to the Chinese navy's activities in the area.

Should Japan unilaterally create a water defense zone there and require Chinese ships to submit navigation plans?

No doubt that this exercise will be shadowed by ships and submarines from every major navy in the region - they just better not get in the way of the PLA-Navy operations or they'll be deafened by CCP whining.

The headline should be "China causes facepalms around the world yet again". At this rate, my forehead will be bright red by this evening.

It said the ship was accompanied by two destroyers and two missile cruisers — elements of a standard aircraft carrier battle group

Seems a bit light on defence to me... assuming there was anything worth defending.

At 57,000 tons, the ship is a little over half the size of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz class carriers.

It's not only the size that matters (actually that certainly does matter too). Things like the aircraft, the pilots and crew, etc all come into play. Plus, the US has been doing this for decades and very effectively. China is just taking baby steps. Not even a full complement of aircraft yet... assuming they'd be a match for opposing forces.

State media reports Wednesday said the navy wanted to submit it to more trying conditions.

I guess it can't hang around just off the coastline forever, but I think the people aboard are not brimming with confidence if things go sour. I wonder how long they'd remain afloat if up against the MSDF, let alone the USN. Maybe they'd limp back to port if lucky.

China will keep behaving strangely as long as it feels the need to assert its resurgence in Asia. Or something. payback fior the way it was treated in the 1900's.....

I am sorry about the history involving China it is nothing for the western nations to be proud of. However...this is 2013, not 1900. We have a new world to deal with.

Playing brinksmanship with modern weapons is a sad way to try to assert and or project national ambitions.

In naval terms, the ships from China are really quite useless, and certainly not effective should anything happen. Japan has had some of the best naval forces in modern history and the USN is no slouch either. Together they are pretty much in total control of the naval side. China should have left its ships at anchor and avoided yet another very emberassing example of its policies. It continues to be rather odd and bizarre.

CrisGerSan: "Playing brinksmanship with modern weapons is a sad way to try to assert and or project national ambitions."

So you disagree with the American military's bomber flight? With Japan wanting to put rockets on the islands? Or is it only the 'paper tiger' that's got you posting staccato attacks on the nation? I agree with you on the brinkmanship thing and that China is being stupid, but it's not ONLY China that's being stupid here.

The US bomber flight was a planned maneuver and stopping it would have been tacit acceptance of an unacceptable provocative and quite bizarre attempt by China to claim air space in international waters. Quite frankly the islands in question ARE Japanese and they can do whatever they feel is right they would not be forced into thinking of having to 'defend' them of there were not these quite strange attempts by China to seize territory not theirs by fiat and by propaganda alone

It is the first time i have seen a major attempt by a modern nation to capture territory ..as China is all over the Pacific by words alone.

When you say other nations are being stupid what are they supposed to do when faced with the constant provocation and aggresion of this rather odd neighbor of theirs? Will ignoring it work? History sadly shows that it rares does. From the invasion of Ancient Greece by Persia right up to the 20th century, being invaded by whatever form is rarely the fault of the victim, and after you have been conquered or lost territory is not a good time to try to reason with the aggressor, it only works BEFORE that happens.

Would be a shame if all that shoddy Russian metal fell apart.

Let's hope they don't hit a mine or a torpedo. The world's sympathy would swing round to China in that event. So anyone tempted to sink it, please step back and take a deep breath first.

What's 57,000 tons and sits at the bottom of the ocean? A Chinese carrier stupid enough to go head-to-head with the US and her allies.

Regardless of what one wishes were true, the events of the past year are as clear as conclusions to be drawn from them.

Nationalistic rabble-rouser Ishihara (perhaps intentionally) maneuvers the national government into purchasing the Senkakus.

China and Japan run through a series of escalating postures.

Clinton asserts clearly the US vies the Senskakus fall under ANPO.

China probes further to test American commitment.

The US sends unannounced bombers into the airspace around the islets. This is a policy statement: "Attention China. the airspace is ours; not yours, because the islets are Japans. Not yours."

China does nothing to challenge the fly-over.

This is the new status quo.

Conclusion:

Japan and the US are committed to keeping the Senkakus. China may whine, but has not directly challenged the US. Look to the near future to see if China has knuckled under completely (unlikely) or will once again send some "fishing boats" into the waters around the islets.

This is too funny. China sending her "junk" to South China Sea. Let's hope for China 's sake that this doesn't become a rescue operation for U.S. and Japan.

Is this article referring to the Straits of Malaysia? It is between the two parts. No Sea of Japan, no South China Sea!

nigelboy, don’t be like a hare talking about the turtle and look who’s almost won the race. China started off with nothing only a few decades ago and look at it now. So, never underestimate China. That “junk” is a precursor of something that will stun the world. Recently China has been associated with something largest or fastest on which the US and Japan have been falling behind. From the news you can compare the activities of the leaders. The US leader has been busy trying to get the domestic issues in order and interfere in other countries domestic affairs; Japanese leader is trying to fix its stagnant economy and playing political games, while the Chinese leaders are busy making deals and money all over the world and improve the standards of living of the Chinese people. So, I can say that China has never stopped improving. That “junk” you see is what China want you to see for now.

flowersNov. 28, 2013 - 08:41AM JST So, I can say that China has never stopped improving. That “junk” you see is what China want you to see for now.

You can say that China never stopped copying (reverse engineering).

sfjp330, there is nothing wrong with copying and improving it. China is in the process of changing from being imitator to being innovator according to Business Week. And don’t forget that Japan also started off that way. The difference between China and Japan is that China’s learned from the mistakes of others and tries to avoid them while Japan has never learned and still kept its superiority complex.

China started off with nothing only a few decades ago and look at it now

A corrupt and backwards country with no future, a police state, and international pariah. The only reason it's living standards has improved for a minor percentage of the population is that it's become, and gets used by as other countries as, a giant sweatshop that produces good of inferior quality.

It's a shame really because I think China is capable of much more. How about winning a few more friends? Show us laowai the better face of China.

nigelboy, don’t be like a hare talking about the turtle and look who’s almost won the race. China started off with nothing only a few decades ago and look at it now. So, never underestimate China. That “junk” is a precursor of something that will stun the world

I don't think Japan even considered themselves as "hare" for thanks to China's aggressive behavior, you basically gave Abe a carte blanche to increase military budget as well as passage of the secrecy bill which will finally result in more cooperation with the allies in terms of military technology.

Let's talk about this "junk" in detail, shall we?

Your beloved country bought this "junk' from Ukraine which was designed by then still former Soviets. Ukraine was about to sell this off as scraps when suddenly some company from Macau bought what earmarked to be scrap for $20 mil. To make the long story short, Russia got pi$$ed because China bought this under false pretences and hence, did not assist China in giving techonlogy know how to produce the he arresting cables.

To put it simply, it's show and tell junk to appease the brainwashed masses that China is a naval power when in reality, it takes virtually seconds to sink this.

The latest update stated that this "fleet" avoided the Senkaku area. I must commend on the rational decision by the commander.

CrisGerSan said ))))))))When you say other nations are being stupid what are they supposed to do when faced with the constant provocation and aggresion of this rather odd neighbor of theirs? Will ignoring it work? History sadly shows that it rares does. From the invasion of Ancient Greece by Persia right up to the 20th century, being invaded by whatever form is rarely the fault of the victim, and after you have been conquered or lost territory is not a good time to try to reason with the aggressor, it only works BEFORE that happens.

This is a very wise observation which I agree with !! I certainly don't wish to promote any war or human conflict. However conflict is a measure of life which will not disappear as long as humanity exist. It's human nature "Provocation and aggresion" And that's Just the Way it Is !!

nigelboy, again don’t underestimate China. You don’t see the hidden agenda in all this at all, do you? If you are not paid to be on here, you would know that all these started right after the “pivot to Asia” policy was announced. Japan is only a puppet in this show. As China is Japan’s largest trading partner, it doesn’t make sense that Japan would jeopardize that relationship for the sake of tiny islands that can be set aside. Any sensible leader would use diplomatic means instead of aggression and provocation unless it was dictated by someone else. Don’t you see that being a “normal” country is the final reward for being a “nice” puppet. By increasing military budget and changing the constitution, Japan will surely become a “normal” puppet of the empire. Deep down do you really think that China would attack Japan which is the third largest economy in the world and then lose everything it has worked so hard for? Now talk about that “junk,” do you know that China will be showing off a new “junk” in a few years time which will be much larger and more powerful? I read somewhere about China already has the capability to sink an aircraft carrier at a distance and some of its capabilities already matched or surpassed that of the US. Now think about this, why would China proudly show off its “junk” when everybody knows that it is a refurbished one? Nothing is at the surface, believe me.

Flowers,

With all due respect, this "junk" sailing is for show and tell to their brainwashed masses that their beloved country is a world class naval power when in fact, it's the opposite.

JSDF foundation has been to defend against the Soviets (scrambled jets countless times against them even now) so what China presents is nothing new except the lighter version.

@Flowers correction.

As China is Japan’s largest trading partner, it doesn’t make sense that Japan would jeopardize that relationship for the sake of tiny islands that can be set aside.

It doesn't make sense that China would jeopardize its relationship with Japan for the sake of tiny islands that can be set aside. It has been China's MO for a lot of other countries that are too weak to resist as strongly. China is being condemned by the rest of the world and a whole lot more countries like Japan and South Korea (like the US) a LOT more than they like China's government. Not everyone is going to capitulate to China's land grabbing demands like smaller and poorer nations.