Hi people ....... and Aidan,

Here's something just posted several hours ago which gives a good summary and puts forward some concrete likely outcomes:

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21695565-sea-becomes-more-militarised-risks-conflict-grow-china-v-rest

The map really shows how extensively the Chinese are digging in and how it will be virtually impossible to shift them when they have completed their militarisation and built up an enormous armada.

It's looking like a return to the old days of the 1950s when the US was trying to contain the spread of communism. Looks like the US will build a containment line from South Korea and Japan through Taiwan and long the Philippines to prevent Chinese expansion into the Western Pacific which would pose a front line threat to American territories.

I don't think the US is intending to extend this containment line down through Indonesia and Australia. I think the US has given up on Australia. I think it believes - and I believe with sufficient justification - that Australia has thrown in its lot with the Chinese. The Australian economy will collapse if it breaks with China and the millions of Chinese voters in Australia would vote against the government getting back into power at he next election. Look what happened to John Howard when he upset the Asian voters in his own electorate.

In answer to your ?

Ho hum.

Dear Is Mise,

You are a fascinating individual. You deserve to be something better than an engineer.

You can put your head back in the sand now and we'll wake you when the war is over.

An apt reader comment in this morning's Guardian:

"A nation that cannot afford to spend $80bn on schools and hospitals cannot afford to spend $80bn on submarines to "shirtfront" Chinese ships."

Something for the Deppity Dawg claque to chew on!

Hi folks,

Yet another news item about SCS.

Looks like Indonesia is going to take the Chinese to task on the fishing boat incident by not returning the fishermen:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/24/indonesia-vows-to-prosecute-chinese-trawler-crew-in-south-china-sea-dispute

I don't like the way this one is shaping up. First I think that some of those fishermen might actually turn out to be Chinese military personnel and the fishing boat was really a spy boat. Secondly I think China is looking for a reason to justify a fracas in order to bring its navy into SCS to enforce its annexation of the region.

This is getting to be better than The Game of Thrones. Can't wait for the next episode to come out.

Mr0,

Asking for a list of subjects that engineers have extensive knowledge in is as stupid as asking for a list of foods that engineers like eating!

Many engineers know about history, archaeology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy etc etc. 'Tis not the claim that they do that's ludicrous, but the claim that none do.

Despite your constant habit of ignoring the facts and basing your opinions on the most ludicrous assumptions, for a while I believed you could've been telling the truth when you said you were an engineer. Your using phrases such as "waffling on like an engineer" (when engineers tend to be rather terse) made it seem extremely unlikely, though, and what finally showed you up was your claim to be "stuck in a second rate profession for the last forty years".

I'm well aware of what's happening in the South China Sea.

"I get the impression from your tirade above that you are upset because your idol China is not behaving the way you expected it to behave"
Interesting... the least plausible yet of your lies!

Even if you ignore the fact that the "tirade above" was merely statement of my true position to counter your libellous misrepresentation, and even if you start with your usual racist assumptions, it is impossible to reasonably arrive at the conclusion that I idolise China.

You're incapable of holding an academic perspective because you never let the facts get in the way of your anti-Chinese rhetoric, you assume anyone who doesn't share your extreme position takes the opposite extreme, and you can't even distinguish between Australians with Chinese ancestry, Chinese Australians, the people of the PRC, and the Chinese Communist Party.

Your mind seems to be stuck in the 1950s, when the relatively trivial issue of economic systems dominated nations' foreign policies.

And BTW, there aren't "millions of Chinese voters in Australia". In fact they're greatly outnumbered by the combination of those from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia. But I guess they all look Chinese to you.