STRAIT OF MALACCA – “FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION”
There are still those narrow
minded people who think the United States wants so called control of the south
china sea for oil or other minerals etc so I would like to make clear one of
the main reasons to “protect the International waterways” called the “Strait of
Malacca” keeping in mind the worldly importance of FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION
in International waters, not only for the security of the United States, and Asian
countries but as well for a global trade aspect.
The Strait of Malacca, is a narrow,
550 mile stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) and
the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the most narrow part is only about 1.7
miles wide. Globally the Strait of Malacca is the worlds 3rd
busiest waterway with over 94,000+ ships
passing through it each year, with a minimum of 50 Million barrels of oil
passing through it every year carrying about one-third of the world's traded
goods. About a quarter of all oil carried by sea passes through the Strait,
mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers to Asian markets. It is a very dangerous
area, not only because of the shipping lane traffic…. But as well piracy… as a
International maritime institution which started in 1992, made a first estimate
of piracy cases in the year of 2004 I believe it was and the number of piracy
cases recorded were 445 per year!
The United States Secretary of Defense, Carter
has been vocal about US opposition to Chinese land reclamation. He flew himself,
over the crowded Strait of Malacca, in part to emphasize the need for continued
freedom of navigation in the region. The busy waterway is “a very striking
example of the link between security and prosperity and the importance of
having security and stability in the Pacific,” a Pentagon official in the
Carter survey observed.
“It is unclear how much farther China will
go,” Carter said. “That is why this stretch of water has become the source of
tension in the region and front-page news around the world. The United States
will maintain a substantial presence in the region.” His statements were
reported as some of the toughest on China’s island-building strategy that have
come from a senior US official.
China obviously wants full control of the
area and as well wants to have a possible way to assert its naval power
throughout the whole China Sea / West Philippine Sea and The activity by China
MUST STOP NOW…. Before there will be a serious Military confrontation.
No comments:
Post a Comment