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    A distracted White House does nothing as China makes a startling expansion into the South China Sea

    Dana Kennedy, DCReport @ RawStory
    November 01, 2019

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    US President Donald Trump, pictured (left) with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in June 2019, has long championed the US manufacturing sector (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Dana Kennedy, DCReport @ RawStory

    While President Donald Trump basked in the glow of a fake picture of him giving a military hero dog a medal of honor and infuriated Russia by claiming the U.S. is “keeping the oil” in Syria, he’s blowing off two key summits in East Asia this week, despite China’s increasing aggression in one of the most dangerous corners of the world.


    U.S. allies in the region are disappointed and exasperated that Trump, for the third year in a row, won’t be coming to Bangkok for the East Asia and U.S.-ASEAN summits—especially as Beijing ratchets up tensions in the South China Sea, a 1.4 million-square-mile expanse where one-third of the world’s shipping traffic comes through.

    Using tactics right out of a Tom Clancy novel, China’s built seven artificial islands that resemble military fortresses with runways and defense systems to beef up what it believes is its sovereignty over the sea.

    When it comes to securing U.S. interests, Trump’s strategy is uncomfortably reminiscent of his wheeling-and-dealing heyday. It’s all about the art—or lack thereof—of the deal.

    Beijing also routinely dispatches sinister swarms of maritime militias poorly disguised as fishing boats to lurk menacingly just offshore of various islands occupied by small numbers of Filipinos to show them and others who’s boss.

    [caption id="attachment_16627" align="alignright" width="300"] China's 'Nine-Dash Line' (Radio Free Asia)[/caption]

    China’s so-called “nine-dash line,” a jagged and arbitrary outline indicating that most the South China Sea is Chinese territory, is so detested that both Vietnam and Malaysia have banned the new China-Dreamworks joint production of the animated film, “Abominable” because it contains a scene showing the map.

    'Contested Geography'

    By skipping the summits, which run through Nov. 4, and sending Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and his new, untested national security adviser Robert O’Brien, Trump’s sending a message, said one analyst, that he really doesn’t care about what’s been called “the most contested piece of geography on the planet.”

    Halfway across the globe from both Washington and the Middle East, the South China Sea is resource-rich, with an estimated 11 billion barrels worth of oil under the sea as well as about 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

    Beijing claims ownership of the sea, based on historical documents, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have long disputed those claims. China’s relentless efforts to dominate the region have been the source of escalating friction with the U.S. as well.

    Trump’s relative indifference toward pressing global issues like the South China Sea illustrates his foreign policy—such as it is—when there is little chance for showmanship and perceived glory. Who wants to sit in a bunch of boring meetings or do the hard work required to come up with an American version of China’s killer Belt and Road initiative?

    Instead, when it comes to securing U.S. interests around the world, Trump’s strategy is uncomfortably reminiscent of his wheeling-and-dealing heyday in 1980s New York. It’s all about the art—or lack thereof—of the deal. All that’s missing is the acid rain and Leona Helmsley.

    'Not Interested in Asia'

    “Trump is not interested in Asia,” Robert D. Kaplan, a managing director at the Eurasia Group told DCReport. “All he cares about is making a better trade deal with China and maybe South Korea. It’s not about policy. It’s about making deals.”

    This despite a Pentagon strategy report this year that called Indo-Pacific “the single most consequential region for America’s future.”

    Kaplan said that if America is “unable to offer support and a vision, all these American allies will have no choice but to make deals with China.”

    Putin to the Philippines

    Or Russia. Moscow announced just last week that President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte to visit Manila, the first Russian leader to make a state visit there in 40 years.

    “Putin Accepts Duterte Invite, Just Before Manila-Beijing-South China Sea Oil Talks. Coincidence?” blared the headline of the South China Morning Post.

    So is there anyone minding the global store while Trump stages photo-ops with military dogs or North Korean dictators and ignores the tedious stuff?

    “Though there are very good people in the Pentagon at all levels trying to compete with China militarily, it is ultimately undermined if you have a president that does not demonstrate interest,” Kaplan said.

    [caption id="attachment_16633" align="alignright" width="300"] Chinese fishing vessels in the South China Sea (Xinhua)[/caption]

    “The South China sea is as close to China as the Caribbean is to the U.S. China has a vast geographical advantage. The only way the U.S. can overcome that advantage is by demonstrating that America feels itself to be an Asian power and that means going to meetings and taking an interest in the region. Trump’s not going to do that.”

    Greg Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned that the Chinese paramilitary militias masked as fishing vessels are a clever way for Beijing to assert their dominance while avoiding military conflict. The White House needs equally shrewd solutions.

    "The U.S. needs to turn away from strictly military responses," Poling said.

    "The U.S. Navy has a role in deterring outright aggression and backing up our partners. But the U.S. Navy cannot secure fishing rights for Filipinos or law enforcement rights for other neighbors. They need a diplomatic or economic effort to convince China to modify its claims or its behavior."

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Enjoy good journalism?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

    We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

    Value Raw Story?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

    Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
    READ COMMENTS - JOIN THE DISCUSSION

    Should Trump be allowed back on social media?

    GOP governor 'abruptly canceled' PreK-12 mask rules -- but school districts quickly rejected it: report

    Bob Brigham
    April 19, 2021

    School districts in Arizona rushed react on Monday after the state's Republican governor lifted a school mask mandate.

    "Gov. Doug Ducey lifted his executive order on Monday that mandated masks to be worn on Arizona school campuses," KPNX-TV reported Monday. "School districts still have the authority to have mask requirements in their area."

    The station's Brahm Resnik began tracking the response from school districts.

    Here is the thread he posted to Twitter:

    ALSO Tolleson high school district keeps mask mandate. https://t.co/37Q3tlbmoz
    — Brahm Resnik (@Brahm Resnik)1618884358.0


    ALSO ... with extra hot sauce. Mesa Public Schools, largest district in the state, keeps mask guidelines in place a… https://t.co/Y3lYxQzUsC
    — Brahm Resnik (@Brahm Resnik)1618887873.0


    'NOT QUITE YET' Phoenix Country Day School, one of the more expensive & exclusive private schools in Valley, texts… https://t.co/cYwnq4Xxlv
    — Brahm Resnik (@Brahm Resnik)1618888651.0


    'CLARIFICATION ON GOV. DUCEY'S EXEC. ORDER' Tempe Union High School District says 'today is not the day' we don't h… https://t.co/4Us8XZcxe8
    — Brahm Resnik (@Brahm Resnik)1618889305.0


    'AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD' Ducey ditched masks in school, but Higley Unified is keeping them pic.twitter.com/j4lQonxiEH
    — Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) April 20, 2021




    Trump panned for bizarre Sean Hannity interview on Fox News

    Bob Brigham
    April 19, 2021

    When Donald Trump was president, Fox News personality Sean Hannity was described as his "shadow chief of staff." Trump is now a retiree golfing in Florida, but the Fox News hold lavished praise during an interview broadcast on Friday night.

    Hannity began the interview by praising Trump's work ethic while he lives at Mar-a-Lago in retirement.


    News anchors in Pyongyang hear this stuff and blush pic.twitter.com/yVY3Y3wm9Z
    — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 20, 2021

    Trump went on to lavish praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin while complaining about investigations into his ties to Russia.

    Here's some of what people were saying:


    Trump is bragging about his loving relationship with Putin. What happened to “America First?”
    — The Lincoln Project (@The Lincoln Project)1618883795.0


    This is amazing. He wants to confess, except at this point he's too addled and stupid even to understand what he'd… https://t.co/Bfdyosvo9m
    — Tom Nichols (@Tom Nichols)1618884410.0



    Breaking News: Man responsible for Republican vaccine hesitancy wonders why he's being asked to promote getting vac… https://t.co/kAqjPRJ6Ls
    — The Lincoln Project (@The Lincoln Project)1618884881.0





    Trump: "It's never happened to another president. I don't know if you know, Sean, in a second term, a president usu… https://t.co/VHV69vr9Ug
    — Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona)1618882191.0


    Yes I'd imagine that waiting to see if he'll end up in prison would probably have some impact on his political care… https://t.co/TYrKeR0gg0
    — Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen)1618885134.0


    Trump said he encourages people to get a vaccine — once Hannity prompted him to say so. But he continued to hedge/d… https://t.co/HlH6KgzHIZ
    — Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter)1618887377.0


    Trump should just drop a confession album and save us all the trouble. https://t.co/UUUj4u924I
    — Ahmed Baba (@Ahmed Baba)1618886306.0


    Wait so multiple people asked him about Russia but not why he’s orange??? Why will no one ask him why he’s orange? https://t.co/huafaDwrNc
    — Irishrygirl (@Irishrygirl)1618884603.0


    Trump praises Putin on Fox News -- after Alexei Navalny hospitalized in prison

    Bob Brigham
    April 19, 2021

    Former President Donald Trump on Monday praised his relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

    The statements came after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was transferred to a prison hospital and the Pentagon warned about Russia's troop build-up along the border with Ukraine.

    Fox News personality Sean Hannity asked Trump what he would do differently if he were to run again in 2024 and win.

    Trump did not lay out a vision for the future and instead complained about investigations into his ties with Russia.

    Trump recounted that his 2016 campaign aides repeatedly asked him about his ties to Russia, but denied there was relationship.

    "Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump argued.

    "I got along great with President Putin, I liked him, he liked me," he said. "That's a good thing, not a bad thing."

    Watch:


    Donald Trump www.youtube.com

     
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