South China Sea/West Pjilippine Sea

This writer is not pretending to know more or much of the Spraty islands issue. His views are that of the ordinary Asian observer.

More on the rumblings in the South China Sea or The West Philippine Sea.
Of the six or so major claimants of these reportedly oil and gas-rich group of islands, China, Vietnam and the Philippines had shown eminent vantage ground. China some hours ago issued a stern warning to all concerned that any one who wanted to conduct surveys and explore natural resources in the disputed group of islands in the South China Sea should first ask China's permission.This could mean any violation must be dealt with accordingly. Vietnam on its part charged that Chinese military vessels cut their undersea business and exploration cables not far from their shores and definitly within their Exclussive Economic Zone boundaries These events caused the Vietnamese military to send equally strong military vessels and hold livefire execises in these areas. Vietnam's capabilities in war cannot be discounted or underestimated, all we do is look back in their records in the Vietnam war not so long ago. The most devastating war in recent history that lasted over three decades that sent the American army contingent retreating back home. A total of 58,200 American solidiers died in the war excluding the 5,200 allied soldiers from Australia, Korea, Thailand and others who were also counted as casualties or missing in action in the Vietnam war. If these are not enough proof that the Vietnamese people cannot be bullied then tell me what. Though a communist country as Vietnam is the Chinese people are not war born or born warriors as they were in ancient times in the eras of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan who were not even pure Chinese but Mongolians. China was almost totally captured by the Japanese military way back in the 1930s. Today China holds the distinguishing record of having the world's largest standing army. But ironically China holds eminent control in all the claimants economic and business life not by force of arms but by their perhaps superior business wisdom. It may not be necessary to identify all Chinese businesse records at this point in time, but my search and researh in the web revealed the Chinese businessmen hold maority control of almost all major businesses in all the claimant's countries. So why do we think China will engage her neighbors (rival claimants) into a shooting war just for all these tiny group of islands? Of course this is another no- brain issue.

In all of the West Philippine Sea claimants the Philippines is the most diplomatic, no war no bloodshed let us just talk. Though mostlty labeled as the passive approach, the tail between the legs kind of diplomacy, the Philippines is identifyingly the only Christian and the freeist country in Southeast Asia, if not the whole of Asia and the far east. By its history the Philipines was under Spain for four hundred years, was under America for half a century and for a few years was under Japan. The Filipinos never go to war on their own. Their wars were brought unto them forcing them to defend themselves. Filipino soldiers were sent to fight in some countries not as aggressor but as an ally or in peace-keeping force. Yet going back to the Spratly rumblings and claims issues.
Philippine leaders: particularly a former military general and former senator said, The Philippines is incapable of a shooting war because our weapons are obsolete and disfunctional and no match to the big bully that is China. But another incumbent senator countered, a shooting war for the Philippines is bleak but we can win in a word war we cannot run out o words. Yes! and end up like an empty clanging cymbals.. all noise.Mel# bye