>The reason they continue to do this is because they know without doubt other Countries will not treat their fishing vessels in the same way. There is zero consequences for their actions and they have zero reason to change their policy.
This paragraph completely decontextualizes what's going on and makes it sound like the Chinese state is just rolling around blowing up ships for fun. In reality, fishing in international waters has always been messy.
>You might say "the consequence is that they look bad", but they don't, at least not to the people they care about - mainlanders. They own and/or control the news media in mainland China. To produce an anti-CCP news piece in China is suicide for these companies.
This is just orientalism. Unlike us normal westerners, they don't care about what other people think! How scary!
>External "free" media have their own interests and biases, meaning they may or may not publish articles depending on whether they coincide with their goals. If a bad China news piece makes the current President they support look bad, do you really think it makes headline news?
>Doing "drive bys" is hardly actual action, like say dismantling a Chinese base made in international waters. THAT would be concrete action, and I bet they would get all upset but ultimately do nothing (unless it's too Australia, in which case they'll find some other product to ban).
I've spent time in Vietnam and China, both of which are in the orient and as far as I can see this is a case of China being a bully and using aggression to grab territory off Vietnam and similar. I'd be more anti bully than anti orient.
>You might say "the consequence is that they look bad", but they don't, at least not to the people they care about - mainlanders. They own and/or control the news media in mainland China. To produce an anti-CCP news piece in China is suicide for these companies.
Because that claim is wrong. Remember the cute stories earlier this year about Chinese internet users using various methods to circumvent censorship of a Renwu interview with Dr. Ai Fen: https://qz.com/1816219/chinese-internet-rallied-to-save-a-ce... ? Renwu is a Chinese magazine, publishing that interview hasn't been suicide for them.
What about all the comments pointing out that other countries are taking concrete steps and treating Chinese fishing vessels in the same way? The whole premise of the "analysis" is mistaken.
For China is business as usual harassing other fishermen legally operating inside the claimed nine dash line waters, claims which were invalidated by an international court. Other nations are defending their EEZ and have every right to chase them out or sink them.
I wish Japan would extend its navy and actively deter China. Too bad Mr. Abe had to resign his post serving as PM, he wanted to revisit article 9 of Japan's constitution. An reiterpretation was made allowing Japan to exercise collective self defense.
> For China is business as usual harassing other fishermen legally operating inside the claimed nine dash line waters, claims which were invalidated by an international court. Other nations are defending their EEZ and have every right to chase them out or sink them.
The nine-dash line claims were invalidated on the grounds that controlling small islands without permanent settlement doesn't extend the EEZ, so the EEZ is limited to 200 nautical miles from the coastline. But there's a lot within 200 nmi from the Chinese coast, including the Paracels, where those Vietnamese fishermen in the article were attacked by the Chinese coast guard. Simply defending their EEZ, as they have every right to do. Except the Paracels are also within 200 nmi of the Vietnamese coast, so the maritime boundary is up for negotiation. Vietnam and China have a treaty delineating the boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin, but otherwise it's still unspecified.
As for Japan, they're on the other side of Taiwan, so their EEZ doesn't extend nearly far enough to make any claims in the South China Sea.
Nothing an international arbitration court can't solve. There was a similar legal conflict between Romania and Ukraine regarding the Black Sea plateau which was legally solved by the ICJ a decade ago.
Vietnam should bring the case to court and employ some good negotiators. It's the only potentially constructive strategy for them, as outmuscling China is out of the question. If China won't respect the court's decision, the international community can then condemn them, issue tariffs and sanctions and Vietnam could legally fire warning shots and sink their coast guard vessles entering its EEZ.
This paragraph completely decontextualizes what's going on and makes it sound like the Chinese state is just rolling around blowing up ships for fun. In reality, fishing in international waters has always been messy.
>You might say "the consequence is that they look bad", but they don't, at least not to the people they care about - mainlanders. They own and/or control the news media in mainland China. To produce an anti-CCP news piece in China is suicide for these companies.
This is just orientalism. Unlike us normal westerners, they don't care about what other people think! How scary!
>External "free" media have their own interests and biases, meaning they may or may not publish articles depending on whether they coincide with their goals. If a bad China news piece makes the current President they support look bad, do you really think it makes headline news?
This is delusional, as I discuss here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25121329
>Doing "drive bys" is hardly actual action, like say dismantling a Chinese base made in international waters. THAT would be concrete action, and I bet they would get all upset but ultimately do nothing (unless it's too Australia, in which case they'll find some other product to ban).
This is just bloodthirsty lol.