I’d never heard of the Spratly Islands until I saw a BBC news report in which they sent a little plane over the area to film recent developments on these gorgeous little, uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. Suddenly a voice boomed out of the plane’s radio, heavily accented but if there was any ambiguity in the words, there was none whatsoever in the tone. “YOU ARE ENTERING CHINESE WATERS AND ARE CONSIDERED A SECURITY RISK TO THE CHINESE NATION”. Basically: ‘NOW FUCK OFF!!!!!” “OR DIE, western muthafuckers!!!”

The reporters were there because China has been building on these islands. Some oil exploratory stuff on a few, military installations and runways on others. Ever looking to expand its income stream and widen its effective borders. And it was actually an ecological report, at that time, because the buildings had killed the coral which had originally formed the islands and had been still very active. But coral is always sensitive in a way that 14,000 tonnes of concrete for a runway simply isn’t.

The islands are actually off the northern coast of Brunei. And just to the west of the Philippines, who make historical claim upon them. As do the Bruneis. As do the Vietnamese over to the west and Malaysia because… because it wants to. China is in fact the furthest of all these from the islands but because of the nine red dashes on some map dug up a century ago, the Islands and all the sea (with lots of fish, unsurprisingly) belongs to China.

So yesterday, the UN Court of Arbitration, independent even in the somewhat slanty eyes of the Chinese, declared that the Islands do NOT belong to China. But to the Philippines. Who have a security pact with the Americans. Who are all shooting each other at the moment so might be deemed ‘busy’.

China had already stated that it would not listen to, take heed of, adhere to or do anything but ignore any court ruling anyway. Why not? They’re China. Do what they fucking want.

But as statements of intent go, China made a big one yesterday. As well as verbally attacking everyone very aggressively through ‘diplomatic’ channels, they also made a more emphatic statement. They fired weapons. Shitloads of weapons. Not little ones, so popular in America, but big ones. Canons on ships, missiles, rockets, fucking great everythings ripping across the lovely, peaceful South China Sea. It was the most unpopular nation on Earth (other than South Korea, obviously) basically saying: YOU WANT SOME’A DISS????

I’ve got a man-cold, its awful, don’t need to worry about China too. Make them go away.

Happy sneezy Wednesday

A xxxx