This video is a year old, but watch a short portion starting at 6:16 and see the US was there then

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/238393/china-coast-guard-seizes-ph-supplies-for-ayungin/amp

https://amp.abc.net.au/article/103925644

They need to make that coast guard ship a part of the reef

All of Asia needs to get together and sink everything that China puts to sea- all of their vessels are part of their navy in some way including the "fishing vessels".  Unfortunately they all hate each other and can't get along long enough to do what needs to be done.  

Way more bellicose language from the PRC, my Brother, and as it was pointed out before (i read what I was writing from an earlier post), this time from a high ranking PRC/CCP Official. The World is a different place. This is gospel now.

I've been checking Time and Newweek magazines for their take on the conference, and neither of them have gotten to it. Ha! No real surprise there. In about a week they'll tout the fact the Sec Austin met his counter-part in another brilliant foreign policy coup by the Biden Admin.

But we're still left with the question as to why the Chinese feel this is the time for some really tough talk. They still have never run, that I know of, a large enough scale of an exercise to simulate a major attack much less than a full scale invasion against someone that will be shooting back because they'll choose death on a battlefield rather than death through torture with hands bound behind their back before someone puts one of those pocket pistols the Chinese used to carry to end it all.

Has Taiwanese determination to resist PRC physical attacks diminished?
Has Taiwanese Society sufficiently been weakened through physical deprivation and political scandal?
Has the PRC reached a level of paying off foreign politicians to the point that they feel they can now move with impunity?
Does the CCP now believe that with Trump convicted, Biden will win the next election easily?

Don't know how the CCP sees the things that they do. I can't understand how Democrats here think the way they do either. All I can say is they both are guided by an ideology that automatically sets them up into a "tunnel vision." Show them what they need to see, and they will react in predictable meaurable ways.

What they see now is American weakness, and they are acting very predictably.

You know what's funny about this story?
When even the Obama Admin and come to think about it, Obama himself, stated that Chinese 'hacking and cyberattacks' were a National Emergency, The NYT was a bit behind the curve in reporting having been a victim of the Chinese getting into the Times' operations in China and then back to New York. They're still real careful what they say. Pussies.

We can't really be surprised at this one.

How many vessels have the Iranians taken over? Even the Houthis can do it with impunity: Yemen's Houthi rebels seize cargo ship in Red Sea



I will leave this story here from Carmel's post as here's the title of it:
Lowy Institute survey reveals Australians distrust China and are losing faith in United States

Whoops!!! I made a boo boo!!

Turns out that Newsweek sort of did cover the Shagnri-La Dialogue. They "updated" an older story:
US Treaty Ally Philippines Cautions China About 'Red Line'

I was going to re-edit order of the paragraphs. Pres Biden and Sec Austin are only mentioned in the very last sentence of this story.
To their credit, Newsweek did add this part:
But then they allowed the statement by Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, to be publisihed unchallenged in any way as if the world is blind to the truth.

Here's the last sentence of the story:
"Ironclad." Carmel posted a link to what one of our allies thinks of that above.

I'd still love to see a high level DC diplomat flat-out threaten. "Invade another country and we'll redraw the geography books with a sea of glass in the middle of what's currently your country."

The West has forgotten (deliberately, intentionally, via sabotage) that force is the only language that ever truly matters. As Herbert put it, the ability to destroy a thing is the ability to control it. The corollary to that is that those who have the ability to destroy and not the will, shall lose the former after they lose the latter...followed shortly after by their own existence.

https://news.usni.org/2024/06/03/u-s-japan-and-korea-commit-to-new-multi-domain-freedom-edge-exercise-series

I think they have a plan to take Taiwan that won’t cost them a lot of lives or more importantly to them hardware.  We in the west always think of conventional military warfare.  I believe when China goes for Taiwan they will use vast amounts of chemical and possible biological weapons delivered by missiles throughout the island.  They can air burst tons of fentanyl over the population centers and kill a lot of the population without harming the infrastructure. Fentanyl degrades quickly by UV light, so they don’t have to wait long to go into the areas they attacked.  There is a lot more chemical weapons that have similar affect’s and are rendered safe after a short time outside.  

We think that nobody would ever do such a thing because we wouldn’t.  But China and Russia think very differently than we do.  

Here’s one scenario. EMP over Taiwan, mass chemical attack and massive ballistic missile attack on military sites. You do that 50%+ of Taiwans defenders are dead before China even gets a ship or plane in Taiwans territory.

Sure some of the world will be pissed, but those same people will be terrified it might happen to them.

lol just some random thoughts of mine. China definitely has changed its tone and it’s getting very bold.

The only way to get to hear that language is to be part of the meeting/negotiation.

If you've ever heard diplomats describe a meeting as "frank and earnest", rest assured that some nasty language flew across the table, but they found a path to move forward.

On the other hand, if you hear the description of talks stopping due to an "immediate call back for consultations" or "technical difficulties", some language that suggests a small time out, you can pretty much bet that things are going 'South' pretty damn fast for one side or the other and some language similar to your example was used.

This is in reference to the guy that wrote Dune, right? Your last sentence is absolutely correct, and to borrow a line from another book, Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton, "War is a matter of Will."

We covered something similar along these lines some pages ago, except we settled on a specific type of fungus that's only found in two parts two parts of the World: China and Indonesia. A microscope-sized amount is enough to kill, but if you do survive, you'll need organ transplants.

I'm very positive that the PRC has "gamed" everything up in your post and probably a number of things that we couldn't even think of.

Here are the highlights:
I tried to break up "the wall of text."


It was too much of a run on sentence to deal with. Suffice to say, Best Korea is condemned because they're asking to be.

Okay then! I don't ever remember a USNI article that wild grammatically. I don't think any of us are English Majors, and it was tough stuff to decode!!

The important part or the jist of it all is that, probably after Pride month because first things are first, another exercise staring the US, Japan and South Korea will begin, and as always, it'll make any PLA exercise look like Jerry's Kids with broom sticks. That would be the point of it all.

"Multi-domain= air, space, under the water: all of our major exercises are this. Using a word like Multi-domain is just rubbing PLA noses in it for running 46 aircraft and 19 ships in the area the size of Mississippi and being impressed with yourself!!

Because of the anniversary of Tianamen Square today, I guess Propaganda Friday starts early. At least that's what it looks like so far.

China has a response to the story Carmel orginally posted:
China lambasts call by US, Japan, South Korea to uphold peace in Taiwan Strait

For those of you who've never been lambasted, get ready to enjoy yourselves:
Here are the comments the Chinese Embassy in Seoul is "blasting":

Zoinks, Carmel, anyone else:  do you think this is their version of a Monroe Doctrine (only minus the Royal Navy big brother to make it stick), or do you think they actually mean to colonize and rule all in the First Island Chain?

Score Card!!!!!  (Listening to Iggy Pop right now. Makes it easier to digest International News!)
Taiwan tracks 19 Chinese military aircraft, 12 ships around nation
Attached File

Taiwanese rocks vs the PRC glass house:
Taiwan president commemorates 35th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests

I too remember the hysteria of Yellow Rain and T2 (or was it T3?) compounds.  (Jesus Christ, I was a weird fucking kid.)

Anyway, as far as gaming goes, provided the Chinese can get over their racism, I'd thought the Philippines were a much more attractive target for anything military.  If only that the islands have arable land + a lot more free women.  Indonesia is probably better still.

We're all the passenger, on this one, seeing the city's red backside.

Or I got eaten by my television.  One of the two.  Probably the latter.

Finally, I got the chance to watch this. Thank you!!!    Even the music was pretty good.

Those South Pacific jungles grow fast!! In Europe, they've had so many wars there, they're used to cleaning up the areas rather quickly.

At 19:00, you'll see about 15 seconds of a partial Japanese soldier's skull that someone stenciled an EGA on. (I doubt that was during during the War!)

I wish I studied more Mao. But! He always seemed to be a duplicitous fuck, but a focused one at that. (He has that look of "don't let your kids near him.) I think the real genius laid with Chou En Lai.

I think the original version of the "9-Dash Line" was pure bluster on the part of the newly formed PRC. They had no boats or ships. The KMT seemed to control every single Island off the Coast of China proper.

Generally speaking, communist marketing techniques like slogans. They're easy to remember, and most importanly, do not take a lot of thought to understand (the less thought the better, come to think of it.)

At what point the 9 Dash Line came to be thought of as something achievable, I can't say. I want to pick the '90s when Clinton became President. The PRC and the CCP made great strides in all directions when Clinton was President. The Democrats really pushed off-shore manufacturing to China (more than to Mexico which would have been a better deal for us and Mexico) using the EPA creating regulations to increase costs of US made goods to the point where the goods simply couldn't be at a sellable price point.

This gave the PRC an amazing amount of money!!! Enough to purchase US politicians!!! But even back in this time, CCP propaganda was still saying that China would never be a hegemonic power. I think over time, greed has taken over everyone in that Country.

Now, I think the 9-Dash line is just a cover for China to simply have an empire.

• The PRC is the greatest capitalistic country in History! (Capitalism is the Second Stage of Human Development/Progress according to Marxist Theory.)

• Throwing up the word "People" isn't making the PRC even the slightest bit Socialist (which is the Third Stage according to Marxist Theory), and as no Communist Party has ever even desired to get to the Forth Stage of Human Development (Not even Pol Pot!!) where the State will wither away...they'll just end up being a fascist state like most leftist countries.

The 9-Dash Line is now a charade for an even greater expansion of the PRC, something resembling the Imperial Japanese "The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" with the majestic PRC as its mighty head. It's just an opinion.

Indonesia has a lot of Muslims. Muslims, as a group, have a lot of money which to fund guerilla wars.

I'm with you about the Philippines. Controlling the Western archipelago can really block up the shipping lanes. That's why the Imperial Japanese wanted it (the Philippines.) Plus, you're correct about the fact that their a lot of ethnic Chinese women there.

It's been a recent development, under Xi in fact, that the Overseas Chinese are no longer pariah. They make up a lot of the PRC's spies now!! Unthinkable 20 years ago!!

Some Score Cards have been published:
Taiwan tracks 26 Chinese military aircraft, 10 naval ships around nation
Attached File

This is a variation of the pattern the PLAAF flew before Joint Sword 2024A and again during the exercise. In the South-West, that area has been expanded.

Taiwan tracks 8 Chinese naval vessels, 1 military aircraft around nation
They do not show the area the Helicopter was in, only mentioning the ordinal direction of South East.
Attached File

The Air Defense Identification Zone for Taiwan is about 23,000 sq Km and actually extends into the PRC. (The KMT did that years ago.) Wikipedia has a illustration of the various ADIZ in the area.
Attached File

Should be easy to estimate the South East from this.

Taiwan tracks 10 Chinese ships, 6 military aircraft around nation
Attached File

Last I checked China was still Taiwan's largest source of food imports, all China has to do is embargo and blockade them.  

Taking Taiwan is about "face", not it's military importance or I'd venture even their chip manufacturing.   The Philippines is much more strategic and they've been making a lot of sneaky and underhanded moves to flood their people in, just one of the reasons duturte was a treasonous pos thug.

Got a hodge-podge of things for Propaganda Friday. Let's start with what might be accurate and therefore good news:
US announces sale of US$300 million in F-16 supplies to Taiwan
Which means the sale awaits Executive Branch approval.

Here's Taiwan rubbing the PRC's nose in it:
Taiwan ranked 2nd most loved country in Asia
I wanted...nay, needed to separate Insider Monkey's wisdom from the rest of the article:
The PRC is not at the top of the list.

And to add to the propaganda hits, here's an article about an international conference organized and led by Taiwan:
Taiwan sea lane security conference promotes Indo-Pacific cooperation
This is what Taiwan needs to do to fight the PRC from keeping Taiwan from participating in international forums: create their own.

Let's go to Myanmar now for an update:
Myanmar military control weakening as anti-coup forces advance: Report
Admittedly, it's really hard to find vetted information regarding the rebellion in Myanmar. This article uses an entity called the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) and I can't really find out more about them except for their own website:
Current members of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar.
The way these things work is you put up the pictures of your Rock Stars who typically don't have any sort of face time in the project. They're there for donation purposes. Who does the real grunt work? Who knows. But here's parts of their report:



At some point in time, I do expect a Chinese force to be introduced here. One, because of the political and military ties between the Myanmar Army leadership and the PRC, and two because if the CCP does intend to use its Army, this would be a real world test of a) coming in large, fast and angry or b) practicing the infiltration technique they used in Korea to just build up forces and then launch an attack.

Why did North Korea launch trash-laden balloons into South Korea?

The South Koreans suspended all propaganda missions and major exercises with the US a few years ago (during Trump Presidency) as Kim Jong Un wasn't acting so North Korean.

Well, that's now officially over:
I realize that there are some of you out there that would give your all to "fuck the commie" out of her, but remember, you must deny her your essense.
I know!!! Rules: Attached File


It was hard to find a nice picture of her. One you would show to your Mom. I hate you fuckers.

Over the two years we've been doing this, I've wrote that under Xi, Over-Seas Chinese are no longer pariah. In fact, I think I wrote that in a post somewhere on this page!! Then comes this story:
A Beijing police unit is hiring. Those who've lived outside mainland China need not apply

Sure, it's not the same, but if you've spent any time outside of the PRC, you can't join this district's Police Department:
I almost got through the paywall that time!!! So close.

Next we have an opinion piece from the South China Morning Post, yes those people:
Why Chinese think tanks' South China Sea reports targeting Vietnam, Indonesia will only escalate tensions

Now the SCMP really is PRC propaganda!! But it's the Tass News Agency variety. Now I have to explain that to those under 40...can't be done! SCMP can have fun stories, like cats in trees with happy endings instead of spouting CCP management slogans every issue in every leade in every column.

Over the last few weeks, I've been noticing a softening of rhetoric from the SCMP like it was back when Trump was President, oddly enough!! Not sure what that means, but it is an interesting note.

This opinion piece is about how "Chinese think tanks" are ratcheting up tension when it's not needed. Interesting topic for a host of reasons. First, Chinese think tanks, especially after the restruturing from COVID-19 days, only serve to buttress CCP dogma in academic speak. Second, they provide necessary cover for travel of MSS agents abroad, or inviting coopted, and those that volunteer to spy for the PRC, scholars, businessmen, politicians into the PRC for conferences.

Provided summary:


So, here's the crux of the author's, Maria Siow, thesis:
Now here's where the author goes Al Capone style of these two think tanks:
That's pretty rough stuff especially after the recent realignment of "think tanks" in the PRC. And it's not that she's wrong, it's that the criticisms are now very public:
Gentlemen! This is startling. Four years ago, Chinese journalists disappeared for much less than this.

So...what's going on?

First, it has to be said that this could now be a legitimate stance somewhere in CCP hierarchy. This is possible. Xi can't arrest everyone in the Politburo, and there are always factions no matter how loud they deny it.

It's also possible that Maria Siow is an enforcer that was sent out as the Harbinger of things to come. Her accompanying photo, she's scary. That means "Think Tanks beware."

Or it's also just as possible that this opinion piece is being used as cover to deflect criticism on the bias of the South China Morning Post: we don't suck like MSNBC!


Speaking of tensions with the Philippines, here's another documented violation of the Chinese Coast Guard violating international laws, conventions and just basic human decency. There's a video that accompanies the article:
Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of blocking medical evacuation

"allegedly" al-jazeera?? al-jazeera just turned into white liberals!!!!

Seeing increased Chinese PLA military activity
Attached File

5 PLA-associated ferries have left their normal Yellow Sea routes & are headed south: 4 Bo Hai Ferry Group ferries and one COSCO ferry (Ji Long Dao).
Attached File

In 2024, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported 1,000+ PLA Navy warships tracked (+47% year-over-year), 1,700+ aircraft detected (-15%), & nearly 800 air defense zone (ADIZ) violations (flat yoy)
Attached File

GoldMead, you Magnificent Bastard!! You got us Charts!!!!!!!  

Now, we're professionals!!!!!
Great work!!!

Score Cards!!
Taiwan tracks 9 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships around nation
(Both score cards have the same score for the day.)
Attached File

Taiwan tracks 9 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships around nation
Attached File

Less aircraft so far. If the number of aircraft picks up as we get close to the end of the month, we can safely conclude they've been swapping out engines probably at the unit level. I'm not sure the PLAAF can get 100 hours out of an engine. It was only 10 hours 10 years ago, so they have progressed. Also, I did write to the Taiwan News asking for more MND information, and I never heard back. I wrote I was from arfcom. Maybe I shouldn't have wrote that part!

We do have another update.
Remember the Center for Strategic and International Studies war games that we covered a couple of times as information dribbled out?

They have a new report where in CSIS says that the PRC will try to "quarantine" Taiwan in the short term.
CSIS outlines China's possible quarantine of Taiwan

CSIS developed two possibilities. Both plans require the PLAN, the Chinese Coast Guard and the Militia Fishing Fleet. The first type is to impose a "new normal" onto Taiwan while the second is far more complex and a much larger, in fact pretty huge, operation to impose "enhanced" custom inspections at Sea. That takes a lot of people, plus you're practically taken over a ship.

The question is will the US do anything if China does either scenario listed above.  If China doesn’t fire a shot I don’t see the current US government doing much.

Yes I got some charts I took them from a guy who clearly puts in a lot of work following all of China’s movements.

PLA Ferry Update:

All ~5 civil-military ferries were operating in the Taiwan Strait over the last 24 hours, with stops at major ports in Xiamen & Shantou (the same locations prior to Joint Sword 2024A). Data via Marine Traffic.

Attached File

Here's an interesting note that happened about 40 hours ago:
S Korea says it fired warning shots after N Korean soldiers crossed border

Not a lot of detail of the action, but it's the actions surrounding it all:
It's the Balloooooooonnnnsssss!!!

South Korea has returned to using loud speakers!

How many civilian North Korean villages are on the DMZ?
One. Nobody lives there. It's a potempkin village stocked with people when needed.

There are lots of North Korean army guys there, though!


So, which came first, Nork trash balloons or the South Korean broadcasts?
North Korea sends more rubbish balloons to South after Kim sister's threat



Here's another interesting stopping point for us.

Pyongyang is above ground and has electricity. Ergo, you can find computers there. That's not true of most of the cities and towns in North Korea. The other interesting point is that North Korea sells North Korean labor to China. Those North Koreans find out a lot more of what's going on than anyone will through a USB stick.
But, let us return to the 'fantasy' presented:

"The question is will the US do anything if China does either scenario listed above."

Most of the questions about Joe Biden have the same answer: "Depends."
(I needed to make a joke.)

But, to take a broader view, it was Pres. Obama that purposely and thoroughly ended "Pax Americana." He and his voters put us on this path. There was always going to be a price to pay for that. It's coming due.

Getting back to the car ferries, is there any data on what cargoes or people they're ferrying? That would be interesting. Are they rolling on and rolling off in a port, or on constructed piers? All kinds of questions come to mind.
And thank you again, GoldenMead.

Score Card Time!!! Then I feel the need to apologize :(

Taiwan tracks 13 Chinese military aircraft, 9 naval ships around nation
Attached File

The loop in the South heading up the Eastern side of Taiwan, that's just short of the flight path used during Joint Sword 2024, and up to this day that has been as far as they have gone.

Taiwan tracks 23 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships around nation

Attached File

And now, they've gone further up the Eastern Side than anytime previously, and it looks like they came as close as 39 km to the Coast of Taiwan.

Now, it's a apology time!! A few days ago, I came across a story about a motor boat with a single occupant aboard that traveled East from China and was picked up by the Taiwanese Coast Guard.

I thought to myself I should post it because it might turn into something. There was something more odd about this particular time than the numerous previous times it's happened. But, there wasn't enough to the story to share.

But, I didn't post it!!! And it's turned into something!!!!

Taiwan intelligence agency investigates retired Chinese officer

Yes, it might have been an attempt at an insertion of an agent.

I'll get it right next time!!!

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/South-China-Sea/China-s-new-maritime-rule-to-take-effect-Filipinos-at-risk-experts-say

LOL I came to do the same one, my Brother!!!!  

I'm going to do the score card first:
Taiwan tracks 8 Chinese military aircraft, 8 naval ships around nation
Attached File

Going to post pone Propaganda Friday tonight to cover the Chinese Coast Guard story. It's that big!!!

As Carmel posted and as Rand just published their study on "quarantine" of the island of Taiwan, the Chinese Coast Guard is having it's powers expanded under PRC law in violation of International law and international conventions:

Taiwan protests new China coast guard regulations
I have some posts from 2021. I also looked for a Biden Administration response on this topic, and I couldn't find one. The only explanation for that is that there is no response from the Biden Administration.
Back to the first story:

I have three stories that I will post links to and grab some quick quotes from as well. This is a pretty big deal, and it's another step towards quarantining the Island.

The reason this is such a big deal is that the US has back logged weapons shipments that Taiwan has purchased. These weapons will be arriving by Sea, at least that was the plan. What to do now???? Wait for the next Administration to sort it all out if Biden doesn't win re-election? Hold weapons shipments even longer if Biden does win re-election? What's a shit-head administration to do!!

China's Coast Guard Law Challenges Rule-Based Order
Check out this alleged American Scholar:
You can read Shuxian Luo of John Hopkins University's essay here:
China's Coast Guard Law: Destabilizing or Reassuring?
Essentially, Shuxian Luo argues that...
So, because the PRC is being more efficient rewriting and reorganizing laws and governmental departments, it'll all be better!!!

Next article is also from April, 2021:
How China's Coast Guard Law Has Changed the Regional Security Structure

This is an interesting paragraph about the years from 2011 to 2021:
If we accept the premise of "China has implicitly indicated that it does not need to wage war to achieve its goals. Beijing has opted for a slow intensity conflict approach or low-intensity coercion by which China uses incremental steps to expand its de facto control over disputed territories," then it follows that something happened to encourage Xi and the CCP/PRC to become a lot more agressive right at the begining of the Biden Administration.

Back to the article and remember this is from 2021:
You can check out Sec of State Mike Pompeo's full speech from 2020 here:
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo Remarks at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: "Communist China and the Free World's Future"

I'm just posting a snippet as a tease:
There's a lot more where that came from!!!!

Back to the second article:

Last article is from January, 2024:
Has the China Coast Guard Reached Its Limit?

Attached File



More words are coming!!! If you need to bail, I understand!!!!


There's a lot more going on here!! If you can take the time to at least skim the articles presented to get a better idea of what is coming.

Got some Score Cards!!! We have a new stable pattern:
Taiwan tracks 12 Chinese military aircraft and 8 naval ships
Attached File



Taiwan tracks 7 Chinese naval ships, 6 military aircraft around nation
Attached File

The pattern has to do with one day a big number of PLAAF aircraft (I'm assuming PLAAF and not PLAN), then a smaller number the next day.

I have two stories to make up for postponing Propaganda Friday.

More KMT shenanigans:
KMT delegation from Taiwan meets China's Wang Huning at Straits Forum

I'm reordering the story organization because of a Name (Lian) that appears without context. It could just be a typo, or the original editing process goofed up.


"Lian" wasn't mentioned twice, nor in the '#' tags at the end of the story, so our best guess is it's a typo, and "Lien" is the actual attritable quote.

We covered the "1992 Consensus" pages ago, maybe around the Election time?? January? Can't remember.

For those new to the thread, the 1992 Consensus was an ambigous statement accepted by both the CCP and the KMT regarding the status of a "One China." Neither country promulgated a treaty etc. about this. The CCP meant it to be that the PRC was the One China while the KMT meant it to be that the ROC was the one China.

Here's an excerpt from the Diplomat about it:
The 1992 Consensus: Why It Worked and Why It Fell Apart

28 years later, the PRC/CCP now says that "One China" means a system similar to Macua and Hong Kong. Those two islands were ruled by a Chinese government of one type or another when they were leased by colonial powers. The same cannot be said for Formosa, now called Taiwan.

Also for another bit of recent historical context, a few years ago, the KMT, during an election cycle, of course, publically rejected the concept of "One China" flat out.

Now it appears that the KMT is now again saying yes to the concept of "One China," but the KMT is going further saying they are against "Taiwan Independence."

Of course, there's no further statements of what Taiwan Independence means in this context. The KMT created the Repuplic of China in circa 1911, and it still exists today. It's just that it doesn't exist in the PRC, only outside of the PRC.

More obfuscation, yes, but rest assured this new move by the KMT was done to benefit the KMT.

And here's the story I bookmarked about the PLA officer and his clumsy attempt to insert himself into Taiwan, so he's calling it a defection now, but I was too lazy to post it!! (again, apologies.)
Chinese man in motorboat arrested in Tamsui, New Taipei

Oh, there's a third one!! I had another story bookmarked. The American Institute in Taiwan is the closest thing there is for an Ambassador and an embassy since the US decided to recognize the PRC as China.
AIT looking forward to delivery of US weapons backlog to Taiwan


So, the weapons are still on the way!!!

https://www.voanews.com/amp/china-philippines-at-odds-over-who-s-at-fault-in-ship-collision/7658620.html

Score Cards! We still have a continuation of one day heavy aircraft, one day heavy day of ships:
Taiwan tracks 10 Chinese naval ships, 2 military aircraft around nation
Attached File

Taiwan tracks 20 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships around nation
Attached File

We're getting a definite pattern of where ships will be going and where aircraft will be flying. How accurate it is in real life, that's a different question. This all could be for show and a false pattern. For a real invasion, Ships may be staging in the East while the Aircraft are loitering in the West which is the opposite of what they've been showing for the last few days.

But again with this perspective, back when I was in the Air Force, US by the way, a Red Flag consisting of 100s of aircraft at Nellis AFB would be joined by aircraft originating from other bases in other states. I have no information to suggest that the PLAAF has ever had hundreds of aircraft in the same area at the same time flying around at "military" speed.

This would be the second time this has happened since April when a Chinese Coast Guard broadsided a wooden hulled civilian Philippine boat injuring two sailors and damaging the boat.

Let's grab some qoutes:


"solemn warnings" is an interesting phrase.


The US response was...fuck it. I was going to make a joke, but here's the best the US Ambassador could do:
We're bad ass.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/18/us-protect-philippines-south-china-sea

This should have been the message from the other day, not what the US Ambassador to the Philippines said.

I tried to find some video of the collision on 17JUN24. No such luck for me.

I found two stories, though, with a better description of the collision. First up is the AP:
Philippine officials say Chinese forces seized 2 navy boats in disputed shoal, injuring sailors

The Chinese seized the boats in accordance with their new law covered several posts up above.


We posted the PRC version of "Solemn warnings" above as well.

Next story will have the US warning about the mutual defense pact, here's this about the Chinese law:
I'm guessing it's just a matter of time before the Chinese attempt to capture a philippino.

Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission
(We're slowly putting together a picture of what happened:)

What is different about this time and why there's no video available might be answered in these two paragraphs:
Here's more information, well, it's a little bit more information about the towing off of the philipine boats:
Again, the US Ambassador to the Philippines did no favors with her wishy-washy statement. Here are the professionals:

Lastly, the Taipei Times offers this small description:
China blames the Philippines for ship collision in the South China Sea