E. Rowell: The Obama Administration responded to a 2012 conflict in the South China sea by “mediating’ between the Philippines and China. The end result was the the Philippines went back to their shores, but China stayed in the Scarborough Shoals. Right where they were during the conflict*. It is unclear what the Biden administration’s response would be to provocations by China at this time. Judging by foreign policy past performance, the Biden Administration appears to effect foreign policy that is destructive to US interests and puts our enemies’ needs first. We can see this play out in the conflict with Russia, in which the US overtly appears to want Russia destroyed, but the effects of Biden’s policies has been to destroy the US economy and potentially to destroy NATO itself. Biden policy in the Middle East also is geared to meeting the needs of Hamas, Iran, Qatar, Egypt, and Hezbollah, at the expense of Israel and US defensive deterrence in the land and waters of the Middle East.
US-China tensions, with Philippines in the precarious middle, may be drifting toward a ‘1914’ moment in the disputed waters.
By Bob Savic, ASIA TIMES 4 June 2024

Chinese vessels gather near Whitsun Reef in disputed waters also claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea in December 2023. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard
China’s announcement of its intention to enforce a law that would arrest foreign nationals venturing into waters it claims in the South China Sea (SCS) may be the trigger for a direct military confrontation with the United States. The regulation, known as the Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures for Coast Guard Agencies, will come into force on June 15, 2024.
Violent incidents between US ally, the Philippines, and China, have been ratcheting up in recent months. Dramatic film footage by Britain’s Sky News showed several large Chinese Coast Guard vessels pounding a smaller Philippine Coast Guard ship with powerful water cannons in disputed waters surrounding the Scarborough Shoal.
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