Chinese warships in Bering Sea as Obama visits Alaska

[webfact]

Chinese warships in Bering Sea as Obama visits Alaska
LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five Chinese warships have moved into the Bering Sea near Alaska after participating in a naval exercise with Russia, but officials said they don't view the ships as a threat as President Barack Obama travels in northern Alaska near the Arctic Circle.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Defense Department "positively identified a number of Chinese naval vessels in that region, but based on their analysis they have not detected any sort of threat or threatening activities."

The U.S. military has been aware of ships and has been tracking their movements for days as they moved through international waters. Earnest said the intent of the ships presence "is still unclear." He was speaking aboard Air Force One as Obama flew near the Bering Sea.

Obama was in Alaska to speak about climate change.

Navy Cdr. Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said this is the first time that the U.S. has seen ships from the People's Liberation Army Navy in the Bering Sea.

"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Urban said.

There are three surface warfare ships, one amphibious assault ship and one supply vessel.
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Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Dillingham, Alaska, contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-03

[canuckamuck]

China is probably trying to protect him.

[bangkokheat]

china, russia, naval exercise, show of strength i would say

[klauskunkel]

maybe Obama wants to defect to Iran via China, after changing the climate in Alaska? or, maybe not...

[ggt]

China is sending the signal that he is not welcome in mainland China...they have seen him in action for 7 years now...

[BarnicaleBob]

This is just China's way of showing America that as U.S. warships and aircraft travel through the South China sea, they too can travel close to areas close to America. If America complains, then China can say "What the U.S. can do can also be done by China".

[Pomthai]

Maybe they're gonna start their own crab fishing documentary and are researching.

[Grouse]

This is just China's way of showing America that as U.S. warships and aircraft travel through the South China sea, they too can travel close to areas close to America. If America complains, then China can say "What the U.S. can do can also be done by China".

Totally agree with your assessment!

Not easy being a super power.

[Steely Dan]

This is just China's way of showing America that as U.S. warships and aircraft travel through the South China sea, they too can travel close to areas close to America. If America complains, then China can say "What the U.S. can do can also be done by China".

Shows of strength, however laughable, seem to work with the current U.S administration. The Iranians tried it before China did.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/10/iran-warships-threat-to-usa-coast/5365335/

[bendejo]

They wanted to be near the US so they can watch shows on satellite TV.

[wwest5829]

china, russia, naval exercise, show of strength i would say

Perhaps they are hoping that the U.S. would somehow object. My thought here is that the U.S. Would have no reason to react as long as they are in international waters. The same as when we, or other nations sail through the South China Sea, which China is trying to declare as her sovereign territory.

[IAMHERE]

Big military parade in China, not much the Chinese Navy can do in a parade. This is their opportunity to parade for the press.

[maderaroja]

They are just trying to resist having to sign up for Obamacare.

[Srikcir]

Maybe the Chinese are searching for another island they can "develop."

[maderaroja]

Maybe the Chinese are searching for another island they can "develop."

They could try for Hawaii. The Japanese were not so successful that their attempt.

[MiKT]

They are looking for Thai submarines under the ice.

[Publicus]

china, russia, naval exercise, show of strength i would say

It's said there's a first time for everything for Russia and China, while the US does regular joint Naval exercises bilaterally with Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan....and India does joint Naval exercises with the same Navies independent of the USN. USN bi-annually holds the world's largest combined Naval exercise off Hawaii which last year involved 18 Navies of the Asia-Pacific strategic region, to include Japan as a first time participant and the CCP China as a first time invited observer.

The hard fact of these PLA Navy ships near Alaska is that they have more long voyage tourists staffing and steering 'em than they have any Naval forces on board. If you're a good CCP in anything you do, you get to go on the cruise as a reward while the ships are operated by bare bones Naval crews.

Given the PLAN has built so many new ships it anyway doesn't have crews or commanders to staff 'em up to get to sea, which may be hard to believe of a nation of 1.6 billion people but nonetheless remains true. The CCP Central Military Commission chaired by Xi Jinping this year recalled a bunch of retired pot-bellied and greying Naval personnel to help alleviate the shortage and that only made a dent in it.

The odd name People's Liberation Army Navy aka PLAN comes from officers having to start out in the army then switch over to the navy after taking some navigation lessons, which is about it. While the CCP have several military research universities and colleges for already commissioned officers, there is no naval academy, no army military academy, no air force academy, no coast guard academy. The US Naval Academy several years ago finally got a cadet exchange program going with the PLAN and the first several USNA cadets to get assigned reported back with surprise that the first year PLAN officers fresh out of the PLA are taught a Merchant Marine curriculum. So USNA quietly 'suspended' the exchange program while the Central Military Commission is still trying to figure out what went wrong.

Same for the PLA Air Force where its officers start out in the PLA then move to the PLA-AF to start from scratch, which means they lose a lot or aircraft and pilot candidates in training. This all comes from the military over there being the military forces of the CCP, commanded by CCP cadre in the service of the CCP. The PLA and each of the others of 'em are a military force but they are the military force of a political party, not a state.