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US presence in South China Sea absurd: Commentator

Saturday, 20 February 2016 5:44 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 20 February 2016 7:19 PM ]

This US Navy photo obtained on February 1, 2016 shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) as it conducts a live fire gunnery exercise on January 15, 2016 in the South China Sea. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed Jeff J. Brown, a commentator and host at China Rising Radio Sinoland in Beijing, about China slamming US military build-up in the South China Sea, saying it is Washington, and not Beijing, which is truly militarizing the disputed waters by conducting patrols there.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: I am wondering at this point between the US accusations of militarization by China and now counter-accusations by China against the US, who is right?

Brown: Well it is obviously China is right. If the United States had the equivalent of China’s Sixth Fleet sailing off the coast of the United States as close as the United States is sailing along the coast of China, there would be riots in the streets in the United States.

It is absolutely absurd that the United States is over there but this is all part of China’s plan to disrupt harmonious relationships between their natural allies - Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc. - so that they can continue to create divisiveness and tension to oppose China.

And what is so crazy about all this is what people do not realize and people tend to forget. Everybody talks about America’s great Sixth Fleet. The fact of the matter is that the United States Navy is totally outgunned against the Chinese Navy. The Chinese have submarine parity with the United States, they already have one aircraft carrier on the water and they have their new Dong Feng-21D anti-ship missile which an admiral in front of the Congress in the United States said that if actually there was a hot war in the South China Sea, that it would be lucky for the US Sixth Fleet to last one week with China’s new anti-ship missiles.

So this is just …, it is a disgrace but this is what empire does, this is what hegemonic powers like the United States does and it is amazing to me that the Chinese are as patient and as diplomatic about this as possible and I have to tip my hat to my Chinese neighbors that they are not up in arms because I know if this would be done to United States, the United States would be up in arms and in the streets protesting against China sailing off the coast of the United States.

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