USA to build new Military base in Spratly Islands -Negotiation with Philippines Government

Zachary S. Welch/AP - Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China.

Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China.

Although negotiations are in the early stages, officials from both governments said they are favorably inclined toward a deal. They are scheduled to intensify the discussions Thursday and Friday in Washington before higher-level meetings in March. If an arrangement is reached, it would follow other recent agreements to base thousands of U.S. Marines in northern Australia and to station Navy warships in Singapore.

Among the options under consideration are operating Navy ships from the Philippines, deploying troops on a rotational basis and staging more frequent joint exercises. Under each scenario, U.S. forces would effectively be guests at existing foreign bases.

The sudden rush by many in the Asia-Pacific region to embrace Washington is a direct reaction to China's rise as a military power and its assertiveness in staking claims to disputed territories, such as the energy-rich West Philippines Sea (South China Sea).

"We can point to other countries: Australia, Japan, Singapore," said a senior Philippine official involved in the talks, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the deliberations. "We're not the only one doing this, and for good reason. We all want to see a peaceful and stable region. Nobody wants to have to face China or confront China."

The strategic talks with the Philippines are in addition to feelers that the Obama administration has put out to other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, about possibly bolstering military partnerships.

The United States already has about 600 Special Operations troops in the Philippines, where they advise local forces in their fight with rebels sympathetic to al-Qaeda. But the talks underway between the Philippines and Washington potentially involve a much more extensive partnership.

Officials in the Philippines — which has 7,107 islands — said their priority is to strengthen maritime defenses, especially near the South China Sea. They indicated a willingness to host American ships and surveillance aircraft.

Although the U.S. military has tens of thousands of troops stationed at long-standing bases in Japan, South Korea and Guam, as well as the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, it is seeking to solidify its presence in Southeast Asia. Some of the world's busiest trade routes pass through the South China Sea and the nearby Strait of Malacca.

Instead of trying to establish giant bases reminiscent of the Cold War, however, Pentagon officials said they want to maintain a light footprint.

"We have neither desire nor any interest in creating a U.S.-only base in Southeast Asia," said Robert Scher, a deputy assistant secretary of defense who oversees security policy in the region. "In each one of these cases, the core decision and discussion is about how we work better with our friends and allies. And the key piece of that is working from their locations."

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Word War begin Hong Kong Vs Mainland China like West Philippines Sea (South China Sea)

Kong Qingdong, a direct descendant of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, stands in front of a painting depicting celebrities and world leaders, including a dancing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, at the Confucius Peace Prize ceremony in Beijing December 9, 2011

For China's newest battle in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea), look no further than Hong Kong.

As reported by India base news online, China's dominant website called the people of the Philippines, Vietnam and Southeast Asian (ASEAN) as beggars, dogs, dirty pigs and must be slaughter or be burn alive.

The semi-autonomous island is home to immoral people, most of whom are thieves, dogs and bastards, according to Kong Qingdong, a professor of Chinese studies at Beijing University.

"As far as I know, many Hong Kong people don't regard themselves as Chinese. Those kinds of people are used to being the dogs of British colonialists — they are dogs, not humans," Mr. Kong said in a recent interview on Chinese news website v1.cn. See video here

Mr. Kong's comments came after a recent survey from the University of Hong Kong in which 34% of Hong Kong's seven million people said they think of themselves as Chinese.

They were also in response to a debate that emerged after a video of a squabble between Hong Kong residents and mainlanders went viral last week. The video captured a subway squabble between a mainland visitor who was eating on the Hong Kong train and local passengers who informed her that eating on the subway was forbidden. See video here

The spat turned into a yelling match, sparking another passenger to hit the train's emergency button, calling for subway staff to intervene. After a train representative arrived, a Hong Kong passenger told him, "No need to speak to them. That's what mainlanders are like."

In Hong Kong, Mainland residents are better known for spitting and littering than they are known for their etiquette. "There is no denying that the manners and etiquette of some visitors from the mainland do not meet the standards set by the local Hong Kong residents. But poor manners are considered only a nuisance," said Huang Xiangyang, a writer for state-run China Daily, last week in an op-ed column addressing the subway brawl.

Mr. Kong's response to the video was not well received in Hong Kong. Protests erupted on the island over the weekend, according to Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK. Scores of Hong Kong citizens, many of whom brought their dogs with them, gathered at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, Beijing's main representative office in Hong Kong, urging China's mainland residents and officials to understand Hong Kong's values.

A battle has been brewing as of late between this special administrative region, still influenced by its history as a former British colony, and its onlookers to the north, who represent the world's second-largest economy and have a strong sway over the future of Hong Kong.

Earlier this month, 1,500 Hong Kong mothers took to the streets to protest the flooding of local hospitals by a growing tide of pregnant mainland women who rush to Hong Kong to give birth, ensuring their children are Hong Kong citizens and have access to the administrative region's schools and subsidized health care.

Also in January, hundreds of Hong Kong citizens rallied outside an outlet of the Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana after the store's security told local citizens that only visitors from China's mainland could snap photos of the shop.

Tensions between China and Hong Kong have heightened since 1997, when British authorities returned Hong Kong to China after more than 150 years of colonial rule. Hong Kong residents, who speak Cantonese, not the mainland's Mandarin, and drive on the left side of the road, have been eager to preserve their own culture. Many are afraid that businesses are slowly pushing them aside, discriminating against them in favor of wealthy mainlanders with whom they feel they do not identify.

Mr. Kong warns Hong Kong residents who think they their morals are better than the mainlanders': "Don't have anything to do with us. We will stop supplying your water. We will stop supplying your vegetables. We will stop growing your rice. You can grow it all yourself."

A recognized descendent of Confucius, Mr. Kong last year participated in a ceremony awarding the Confucius Peace Prize, China's unofficial answer to the Nobel Peace Prize, to Vladimir Putin.

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