I find Bill Hayton’s position about the Zhongsha island claim to miss the point entirely.
Zhongsha is a collection of two skerries as well as mostly submerged banks, seamounts and shoals. While they do not constitute an island, we have seen China reclaim land and significantly build out islands in the region in the past.
I find Hayton’s position that China is in the “idiotic position of claiming an island that doesn’t exist” and his belief that it did this as a “mistake” to be laughable. China did not establish and declare new districts on islands that don’t exist by mistake.
I think it is considerably more likely that they are claiming the foundation for an island that will be built in that place, and which will be governed as districts. Either way, the idea that the Chinese government, intelligence and military community is making mistakes of this magnitude in an area of such publicly stated importance is foolish in its underestimation of their capabilities and intent.
I find Bill Hayton’s position about the Zhongsha island claim to miss the point entirely.
Zhongsha is a collection of two skerries as well as mostly submerged banks, seamounts and shoals. While they do not constitute an island, we have seen China reclaim land and significantly build out islands in the region in the past.
I find Hayton’s position that China is in the “idiotic position of claiming an island that doesn’t exist” and his belief that it did this as a “mistake” to be laughable. China did not establish and declare new districts on islands that don’t exist by mistake.
I think it is considerably more likely that they are claiming the foundation for an island that will be built in that place, and which will be governed as districts. Either way, the idea that the Chinese government, intelligence and military community is making mistakes of this magnitude in an area of such publicly stated importance is foolish in its underestimation of their capabilities and intent.