Kudos for that find
Have been ruminating since the China/India UFO flap.....
This is the first ive heard of the Indian/Vietnamese deal for oil explo.
Strikes me as a very similar situation to the Leviathan Gas fields off Cyprus....(currently held by two nations...
The Israelis have stepped into the very middle of that one in similar explo contracts....
China/India are too damn big to co-exist in a oil hungry century maybe?
Neither has much, and they are equal appetite buyers.....
The recent basing of the marines, in Australia, as well as other moves of strategic nature by the major players...
Including the Phillipines/China Confrontation, which still simmers.....
Looks like we have the makings for a real mess building up there.....
Good find....thanks!

If you have even payed the slightest bit of attention in your high school world history class, then this event should come as no surprise. World powers will do what world powers will do. Key unnecessary saber rattling and regional paranoia. Oh humans...so fun to watch.

-Ghoster

There has been shooting in the region in the past, and nothing came of it. Just because a shot is fired, doesn't mean WWIII is going to break out. The region is going to heat up, but maybe with an outside party intervening, things will calm down a little bit. I doubt it, but we can hope.

Boy im sure sorry, but i scincerely doubt Chia is bluffing....
they are in real need to establish a fuel supply.......
The piecemeal prepping by the various parties is definately alarming......
Vietnam sure found themselves a big brother quickly enough.....
The situation is far from critical now, but the mills of the gods grind exceeding fine......
China/ India have been an unknown quantity and the definition is now getting much clearer dont you think?

Originally posted by Zaphod58
There has been shooting in the region in the past, and nothing came of it. Just because a shot is fired, doesn't mean WWIII is going to break out. The region is going to heat up, but maybe with an outside party intervening, things will calm down a little bit. I doubt it, but we can hope.

Exactly. None of them want a real conflict becuase it would benefit none of them. A show of force or even some small time shooting will will quickly trigger US intervention and allow eveyone to go home whil saving face. Although China and India in a naval battle would be interesting. They are faily evenly matched and niether has any real experience at it.

There were skirmishes there in the late 80's between China and Vietnam with the loss of a couple of Vietnamese's ships and in the early 90's, Malaysia's then Prime Minister had a great idea (Malaysia is a claimant too) : Don't send in any navy ships but send in some tourist ships cos the Chinese won't fire on the tourists and this seemed to diffuse the situations to status quo for some years until now.


Yeah, there'll be a good show for these two 2nd rate navies to fight it out and my money is on the Chinese because of proximity and India will surely runs back to mama UK and Papa USA for helps but are they game ?

Have a look at the articles listed on Reteurs front page at the moment. Tensions everywhere in the region.

India won't be aggressive with China unless they know for certain that the U.S. and Europe will back them up.

On the Indo-Sino border, China has heavily fortified positions and tens of thousands of soldiers stationed. To the west, India faces Pakistan with 600,000 soldiers and some of the world's best intelligence agencies and quite a modern air force.

Both Pakistan and China are strategic allies (in an effort to box India in) and have promised an attack on one is an attack on the other. If India fought both of them it would be shattered into a thousand pieces.

I believe India is the pawn that the West will send to escalate tensions in the region. Then, when (if) war breaks out between both powers, the U.S. and Europe will send military aid to India and it's allies (Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan mainly) while Russia will send aid to China.

Any fight between these two powers (which can adapt to their losses and recover any casualties pretty quickly) is going to shatter Iran and, by extension, Syria.

The end game? Crush Iran and Syria without having to fire a single shot. Also postpone China and India's eventual economic dominance.

Originally posted by Trajan
India won't be aggressive with China unless they know for certain that the U.S. and Europe will back them up.

On the Indo-Sino border, China has heavily fortified positions and tens of thousands of soldiers stationed. To the west, India faces Pakistan with 600,000 soldiers and some of the world's best intelligence agencies and quite a modern air force.

Both Pakistan and China are strategic allies (in an effort to box India in) and have promised an attack on one is an attack on the other. If India fought both of them it would be shattered into a thousand pieces.

I believe India is the pawn that the West will send to escalate tensions in the region. Then, when (if) war breaks out between both powers, the U.S. and Europe will send military aid to India and it's allies (Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan mainly) while Russia will send aid to China.

Any fight between these two powers (which can adapt to their losses and recover any casualties pretty quickly) is going to shatter Iran and, by extension, Syria.

The end game? Crush Iran and Syria without having to fire a single shot. Also postpone China and India's eventual economic dominance.

From what I heard you must be supporting Israel. Funny how it shatters Iran. I guess Mongolia wins again. I don't think it will postpone, but rather destroy.