Japan and America assert China must stop “blocking” other countries’ South China Sea shipping

Posted: June 24, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: China-Japan, China-US, Comment threads, PRC News Portals | Tags: , | 3 Comments

Japan and America assert China must stop “blocking” other countries’ South China Sea shipping

Phoenix Online/22-06-11

By Zhong Weidong (Global Times Online)

According to a report from Japan’s Kyodo news agency, the governments of the US and Japan on June 21 announced their common strategic objectives, emphasizing “to encourage certain countries to not pursue or deploy military forces that could bring instability to the region”. The report says although the communique did not name the targets of its encouragement but it clearly revealed a posture of restricting the expansion of Chinese military force and joining hands to oppose China.

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“Hottest comments” from 133750 participants/3483 comments as at 2:56 am BJ

Remember Chairman Mao! The old fellow opposed America on the one hand, the Soviets on the other, and also took down all the reactionaries! Brilliant! [24675 recommends]

We are a nation [民族] with a strong backbone, so when people come and poke us with their filthy fingers, would we really choose to bite our tongue and put up with it? Time after time, denouncing and forgiving, what has that brought us? Not the so-called peaceful solution, but some “shameless bandits” being given an inch and taking a mile. I’m a college student, I have no power, but I am a proud Chinese person, and I strongly demand that the state defend China’s sovereignty [强烈要求国家捍卫主权]. I am willing to contribute. [15859 recommends]

After reading this my mind feels contradictory. I love my country, but the country doesn’t love me. My conscience makes me ashamed to take the wrong position, so I’m neutral 站错位置，良心上有愧；还是中立吧…… [8868 recommends]

Stand up! Hiding behind the scenes, sowing dissension, setting sport-fires for fear that the world won’t be in chaos – this is America, an absolute nobody. We must protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity and also not fall for your provocations and start wars with those little countries. We are clear that you and Japan are our biggest enemies, using every means to isolate us and attack us, but the Chinese people have stood up and do not fear you. With our guidelines 方针 and our wisdom, we are already fully prepared for the struggle against you!! [5794 recommends]

To sell out territory to American and Japan is to be a traitor. [5392]

America is a mountain on China’s head, Japan is a thorn in China’s throat. At the moment we can’t throw off the mountain from our head, but we can first pull out the thorn from our throat. [4324]

I hope a few more earthquakes hit Little Japan – they’ve look to have the spare time to be deviously chirping away…[4131]

After reading this I spat out a mouthful of fresh blood! [3762]

Down with US-Japanese imperialism, down with US-Japanese imperialism, long live the great unity of the Chinese people, compatriots make your voices heard, don’t be silent [3736]

What do we get for helping Japan??? Which countries has China’s overseas aid converted? It’s like the netizen above said, America is a mountain on China’s head, Japan is a thorn in China’s throat. At the moment we can’t throw off the mountain from our head, but we can first pull out the thorn from our throat. The Chinese people strongly demand diplomatic ties be severed………

What’s so bad about this – can’t we just attack them? Worry and fear can’t solve problems, neither can negotiating, even less so pleading. You have to advance or retreat with big strides, create a space, not find fault with 1.3 billion people for standing up for their legitimate interests 那就大踏步地进退，腾出一个空间来，就不信了十三亿人为了自己的正当权利还由得他们来指手画脚 [2883]

Resolutely defend our country’s South Sea territorial integrity, resolutely fight back against the Japanese-American so-called alliance that seeks to contain our country. [2324]

There are only relations of interest between countries, and there is only resistance by force…you pray for peace but it does not come… [2263]

Old American friends, allow us to complete our smooth and steady stage, let the scene of prosperity we have created stay a while, say, do you want us to kneel down before you!! Just don’t get tough!!! [2257]

If we comfort the Japanese people, they will be friendly towards us, and Little Japan won’t bite. Haha. [2082]

Blatant provocation, a battle cry. Facing Japanese-American provocation and battle cries, China should make preparations for nuclear war. As soon as it starts, conventional warfare will be useless, so cover Japan in nukes. “Remember, remember!!” – history tells China that being feeble doesn’t bring peace, it only brings encroachment. [1146]

Translator’s comment:

At the end of the last post i raised the fanciful-sounding idea that a leftist struggle for power might be in progress within the Party, and interacting with popular opinion, especially online. Unlikely as the idea might seem, the discussion above could possibly be a sign that the 50c Party* has been mobilized in favour of a leftist faction within the CCP in the lead-up to the leadership handover next year. [Disclaimer: if it isn’t already clear, this is pure speculation, but you have to use imagination in hypothesizing the black box…]

* Also not a monolith – there are loads of 50-centers working for a variety of local and central departments.

Singapore urges China to make clear its South China Sea sovereignty claims

Posted: June 23, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: China-ASEAN, Comment threads, PRC News Portals | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Singapore urges China to make clear its South China Sea sovereignty claims

Phoenix Online/22-06-11

By Li Zongze (Global Times)

China’s biggest navy patrol boat, the “Sea Patrol 31” is currently visiting Singapore, which has drawn attention from that country’s media and internationally. Singapore’s foreign affairs department released a press statement emphasizing this was a routine visit, and also said China’s position on the South China Sea should be “clearer”, as its present “equivocality” was attracting “the intense concern of the international community”.

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Please feel free to comment, correct translation, add explanation, or even translate more comments from the same forums >:) ey? ey?

“Hottest comments” from 23080 participants/535 comments as at 2:56 am BJ

Using China’s foreign policy language all around the world, it’s no wonder they don’t understand! Most of what weak, incapable people say is vacuous! Expand the cave! [Recommends: 5197]

Singapore is right, China should be like a great power that says what it has to say, whose position is clear, if others are encroaching on our territory and we don’t fight back that’s defeinitely just giving face to the encroachers. Wishy-washy words and actions will actually stimulate their appetites and give them a false perception that China is equivocal when it comes to its own territory, that is equivalent to to saying this here is not China’s 那就说明这里不是中国的. You can’t benefit from just compromising – even if China gave away all its land, America and other Western countries would still not compromise, let alone stop their encirclement and isolation of China. As for the talk of Russia supporting Vietnam, Russia should understand this principle: the direct result of China being unable to defeat America was that Russia became the latest target to be cleaned up. [2579]

Singapore is noble, and what they said is pertinent! Clearly demarcate the border activities – doing nothing but talk only makes people more demanding. Russia gave Black Blind/黑瞎子/Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island back to China, so what are Vietnam and the Philippines? Drive them out, don’t fire the first shot, show no mercy to those who resist with weapons, are none of those guided missiles loaded? Lock down all their bases, and whichever one attacks us will be wiped out! If the great power can’t even put these little countries in order, there’s something wrong with the world! 荒天下之大繆 [2165]

We Chinese are on one hand saying we have sovereignty over the South Sea, and on the other hand we’re saying shelve differences of opinion and develop together, negotiate and peacefully solve – this is contradictory. Since sovereignty is ours, why would we be jointly developing anything? Jointly developing our own territory encourages other countries to occupy and encroach. Can territorial sovereignty be just given to another country? [1674]

We miss Chairman Mao! [975]

~

This is called looking for trouble and ugliness. What is it that you want to do? Do you want to attack or make peace? If it’s attack why are you running from Singapore, if you want peace what are you doing crossing the South Sea, aren’t you picking fights on the basis of the present? 想打，你跑新加坡干什么，想和你干嘛要横穿南海，你这不是在现在的基础上找事 [824]

China, China, you just make people so worried. I really want to give you a kick. [763]

Singapore clearly explains how “shelve differences and jointly develop” just confuses the international community. History and reality both confirm that shelving differences and jointly developing will cause much dispute and controversy. We must have a complete discussion. Practice is the criterion of truth, and right now not a single neighbouring country recognizes this idea, it’s caused our territory to be encroached upon, so it’s time to completely clear up this problem. If you fear something will happen, something will inevitably happen! [750]

Translator’s comment

Could public opinion have had anything to do with that unclear stance? Possibly. If expectations about China’s military prowess really have progressed far ahead of its actual capability, “China” might be doing more there than the CCP central decision-makers ideally want to be doing. This may or may not be decisions to actively respond to public opinion, but they could also be non-actions such as allowing military zealots to dictate policy to appease an intra-party constituency, and/or mass opinion? Could the J-20 stealth fighter mystery also be an example of this? Have leftists within the Party been seriously considered as a force? The recent obsession with “red songs” and other red-era nostalgia suggests that the leftist brand’s popularity (or value) is on the rise. Most comment threads on the South China Sea that i’ve read have included (alongside the calls for action) prominent praise for, and often longing for, Chairman Mao. Perhaps those in charge of the Fifty-cent Party are under the control of leftists. With the mobilization of supportive public opinion, “rightists” in 1978 took over the Party. Leftists today might well believe they have the majority of the Chinese people behind them, and they know only too well how to mobilize support. Could we be witnessing an ideological battle in progress?