Military Competition: Starring the US and China.

This is a continuation of my blog in October about the South China Sea.

Strained relations between the United States and China regarding the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait continue to rear their ugly heads. As of right now, this issue is the most volatile source of ongoing conflict. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis held a meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Washington to negotiate a deal to end this conflict. At the conclusion of this meeting, some barbed remarks where exchanged. Seeing Chinese officials willing to talk is a positive sign, but we still have a lot of work to do.   

However, this article from the New York Times now shows how this conflict is heading in a different direction with two different strategies; The first strategy involves Vice President Mike Pence. Currently, he is on a trip to Asia to speak with East and Southeast Asia leaders to drum up support for the American efforts to counterbalance China's aggression. The second strategy involves a "My military is better than yours!" type stand. Despite China's aggressive behavior, the United States still holds the title of the most powerful military in that area. 

 
Lastly, China is now calling on other nations to sever their diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and it appears this is a new retaliatory action.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/world/asia/usa-china-trade-pacific.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fasia&action=click&contentCollection=asia&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront

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