China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?

It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.

In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.

  • @JohnDClay
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    2910 months ago

    Care to provide any examples?

      • @JohnDClay
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        5010 months ago

        Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see any territories that have been incorporated into the US since WWII. The military interventions and soft power stuff hasn’t added any territory.

        • @[email protected]
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          -3510 months ago

          If you’re okay with military interventions and soft power; surely you’re okay, or at least ambivalent, with China doing the same thing.

          • @JohnDClay
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            2110 months ago

            It depends entirely on the reason. I am not universally opposed to military intervention. But I think the US has wrongfully intervened before as well. It all depends on whether it’s a just war.

            • @[email protected]
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              -2810 months ago

              It’s in China’s self-interest to expand their financial hegemony and weaken America’s. To them, it is just. American Exceptionalism is a myth. We are no better than any other country, and the readers here need to be reminded.

              • @[email protected]
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                1810 months ago

                This guy is definitely a troll, he shows up on a lot of posts to try and deflect any criticism back to America. Im guessing if you check his profile you’ll see what I mean but his name has stood out a couple times now on other threads.

                • @[email protected]
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                  -17
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                  10 months ago

                  I’m human and American. Not a troll. I just see the world as objectively as I can, not how I want it to be. I live in America, but I don’t let my selfishness cloud the reality that America is the cause of many of the world’s problems. You don’t have to agree with me. That’s fine. I’m just here to elevate the discussion beyond the myth of American Exceptionalism.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    910 months ago

                    I just see the world as objectively as I can, not how I want it to be.

                    You’re truly exceptional and everyone else is dumb and biased.

                  • @JohnDClay
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                    10 months ago

                    Do you have a moral compass? A set of values you compare other things against? If so, does it apply to your views on foreign policy?

              • @JohnDClay
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                710 months ago

                Self interest is not absolutely just. Morality isn’t defined by what the local government says.

                For example, the US in Cuba was unjust though it was in their best interest.

                  • @JohnDClay
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                    510 months ago

                    But even utilitarianism needs an ultimate goal to maximize utility towards. Is that ultimate good the good of humanity, or the good of China or the US?

              • @[email protected]
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                410 months ago

                Let me put it like this: China is done. Within the next ten years it will go into decline. They have a birth problem (don’t they always?) and current estimates are that by 2050 they’ll only have 800 million left of the 1.something billion they have now. This will cause a shit tonne of issues coupled with their economy already being a huge bubble at the moment. Japan had (still has) a similar issue.

                With that, their economy will fall, their military power will fall, their world influence will fall.

          • @[email protected]
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            110 months ago

            It’s so weird, you claimed that China and America are doing the same thing, someone just tells you why you’re wrong, and you just pivot your position around to something different without acknowledging what just happened.

            Is your brain okay?

      • @[email protected]
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        610 months ago

        Yes, the Chinese are perfect and never did anything wrong. They never invaded anywhere, never committed atrocities, never waged war…

          • @[email protected]
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            410 months ago

            If you really believe that China is the same as the USA then you’re either lying or ignorant.

            For all its flaws and horrible fuckups, I’m pretty sure the USA has never organized genocide, for one. China has, and still does.

            Torture still is a big discussion at least in the US, and mostly isn’t used, whereas in China and other dictatorships it’s just an obvious tool to be used.

            Try raising your voice in China. Just go outside and say “fuck Winnie the pooh” and see how much America and China differ

            Come on, don’t be THAT naive.

            • Franzia
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              010 months ago

              For all its flaws and horrible fuckups, I’m pretty sure the USA has never organized genocide

              is this… is this bait? The USA has organized a handful of genocides.

              • @[email protected]
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                310 months ago

                Unfortunately you’re right, I guess I should add there “in the last 100 years” or so.

                I think it’s fair to say that the USA currently or recently hasn’t been engaged in genocides

            • @[email protected]
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              -610 months ago

              How do you know of life in China? Have you lived there? Your sources are from Western media that has a vested interest in making China the bad guy. Maybe they are. But I’m gonna remain skeptical. You should to.

              • @[email protected]
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                410 months ago

                Not every western media is like in the US where you can just lie your ass off. Some journalists actually are (and are required to be) good and honest and responsible.

                Just because the Chinese state censorship buro didn’t tell you how you should think, doesn’t mean it’s not true.

                If China tells you how something is, you can pretty much assume it’s that what the government wants you to believe, not what is.