Chinese Internet Posters Angry Government Did Not Attack US Navy Ship
Chinese Internet posters are supposedly going bonkers over the fact that a US Navy ship conducted a freedom of navigation patrol through the South China Sea which the Chinese government ridiculously claims is part of China:
On Oct. 27, the high-stakes maritime game of chicken that has been playing out in the South China Sea came to a head. In a long-discussed freedom of navigation patrol, the United States sailed the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, within 12 miles of artificial islands that China has built amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China tracked and warned the U.S. vessel; the operation concluded without incident and prompted swift condemnation from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But after weeks of tough government rhetoric claiming that China would not stand for what it views as a violation of its territorial sovereignty, Chinese social media voices are now mocking what many perceive as a spineless official response. [Foreign Policy]
Despite all the online venom to attack the US ship one Chinese Internet user left a popular post which accurately reflects what I think is going on:
China’s shrill online nationalists may dominate the web in the aftermath of a flashpoint, but while common, such online outrage has not led to government action in the past. And some netizens harbor more nuanced perspectives. One particularly discerning Weibo user, who identified himself as a 22-year-old native of China’s northeastern Shandong province, also seemed to take the long view of the South China Sea, noting the behind-the-scenes machinations that make the region so complex. “This seems like a game,” wrote the user in a popular comment. “Not only have both countries maintained their reputations, neither country has suffered any losses.” Another observed somewhat sardonically that the situation, all told, was “well managed.” The user noted that China had “gotten rid of the U.S. ship, maintained its sovereignty, and hasn’t worsened the situation. Afterwards, it can be used as an excuse for militarization in the South China Sea.”
Like I have said before the US’s and China’s interests in the South China Sea do no necessarily come into conflict. From the US perspective we want freedom of navigation through the SCS. From the Chinese perspective they want strategic space to defend the sea lanes leading to the southeastern China and to a lesser extent the fishing and mineral rights. As long as each side respects the others interests in the SCS there is no reason for conflict unless the Chinese government is stupid enough to listen to hateful commenters on the Internet.
Once again regional politics and territorial claims come down to one thing, oil. There has long been suspicion that the area the China and many other southeast Asian nations are claiming is teeming with oil and other minerals and this is the reason why the area is disputed. China and all these other nations would have no interest in the sand reefs if not for the potential of what’s underneath them. This is exactly the same level of conflict that is going on in the Middle East. At this point in history he who controls the oil, controls the world.
So now we know China has internet hawks just like every other country in the world. If half of these internet warriors were willing to put down their keyboards and sign up to do the actual military services of their country then I would care what they have to say.
I wonder how much of this will be amplified by the Little Emperor Syndrome.