From what I see on the map.the south china sea is vital to China,Vietnam and the Phillipines but certainly not Japan. The US is obviously using Japan as a pawn try to push China into an expensive arms race and destablizing war while it sits back and sells the munitions.

Socialism2011 wrote in #1 China is an emerging superpower, they will become the regional hegemon in East and South East Asia. No one, soon including the US, can prevent Chinas will in this region.  The only way is to form an military defence alliance in east Asia as a shield from communist China. If countries stay disunited on this issue China will go one by one to take them over... I think it will start with the closest and the most strategic ones. But first they need to sow the seed of disunity and conflict among those nations. So be ready for this scenario...

I would just like to remind all greedy people that you will not live forever in this planet and will still die even if you possess the most powerful arms the world have.

Richard (unregistered) wrote in #2
China's claim to owning the South China Sea is ridiculous and does not take into account the UN economic zone permitted to any country. If China persists with these stupid claims and attacks the Philippines the West including Japan will stand by the Philippines. China will not win this one and should pull its horns in.We all remember Tibet.

Note: The letters from the American soldiers can be found online through the Anti-Imperialist League archives. www.anti-imperialist league.org; Letter to the man sitting in darkness is http://www.logosjour nal.com/issue_4.3/tw ain.htm; and the Letters of US Soldiers in the Philippines that are a mix of opinions is at http://historymatter s.gmu.edu/d/58/ Thu s if some windbag old American gets on here and tries to say that this is false you can refute him or her with hard facts - Americans hate that especially when it shows what prostitutes they have been all along.

Taught for one year at Ateneo de Manila and loved the Philippines and their people, but one thing always bothered me - they have a colonial mentality about the Useless States. They are not your salavation. When they took over from the Spanish they wanted to kill you all as they regarded you all as lower than American blacks. I recommend you read Mark Twain's "A Letter to the Man who sits in darkness" written to President McKinley condemning American Imperialism. Also, the letters written by American soldiers home to the US are filled with racial hatred of the Filipinos and how they enjoyed killing them - including bayoneti your children. I bet you thought the Japanese where the first to do that. No the Americans were first to treat you with that indignity. If you want real powerful and good allies turn to Russia. The baby murdering Americans just want to kill you and rape your women and children. Remeber how they raped Filipino children when the bases were there? I heard a lot about American crimes against the civilian population when I was there from some of your own professors and the documentation is easy to find. I would suggest that asking the Americans to save you Filipinos from China is like asking the devil to possess your soul so he will not tempt you so much. Don't fall for it. America and Israel are trying to enslave you all over again.

This is the first evasions step of chinese. All around countries need to ally together and fight for our land. 

@Topolcats, We are just sharing our own rational sentiments here, therefore there is no need for unnecessary comments like what you've said: "Sipsip ng TT ng americano", I have no idea why you resorted in such way, You are probably a Filipino-Chinese wh o are brainwashed by Chinese Govt. propagandas. Anyway The US and Phils has mutual defense treaty & majority of Filipino massess knows that the U.S. & the Philippines are like brothers, sometimes they have misunderstanding but deep inside them,they know they are brothers and they will protect each other against outsiders. They fought many wars together & they died together! That Brotherhood will stay till the end! Misunderstanding is part of "growing up" in the "internal affairs" between brothers (US & Phils.), but always the Big Brother (US) is there for his little brother (Phils.) especially if the little brother is being bullied by a gangster(China)  . It is a common knowledge that  " bullies (China) do not understand the language of peace, thus if a bully is bullying you, ask for someone who's more powerful (US) than a bully. Or at least, if wolves (China) threaten your sheep, get some help (US) to confront the wolves!"- This is the most logical step for us to do. You are misinformed or you just want to mislead the public,- China claims all of the islands in the South "Asian" Sea, China draw a U-like map taking all the islands in the South "Asian"Sea out of Greed including the islands in the West Philipine Sea. While other southeast asian countries claims only those islands that is within their own backyars as noted by the international treaties regarding maritime laws. China has no friends even in its own neighborhood. Why?  Lastly and let me say again If China's claim is LEGITIMATE, No COURT in this civilized world can disprove it! Then why not go to the international court of maritimes issues or any other INDEPENDENT BODIES? If those international judges  say it belongs to CHINA -end of the discussion!!! - This is common sense!

@Richard I am not sure if you read my comments or can even read?But here are the facts again.You claim legality of ownership under UNCLOS? Well that is simply nonsense.  On the issue of UNCLOS. One important point is the USA refuses to sign it & basically claims t he Atlantic & Pacific as its own! So how can the US support a Philippine claim to UNCLOS when she herself has NO respect for UNCLOS?   China, Philippines did indeed sign UNCLOS but with so many special condi tions on either side, that it would render itself practically useless from a legal point of view to interpret properly,let alone judge. Legal arbit ration would be a nightmare & likely take decades to decide, assuming there is a none bias party willing to adjudicate and both party's agree to an umpire,which is doubtful?     This is a highly complex case,which political overtones much in the same way Argentina claims the Falklands & the UK controls it by force.  For example, the British Channel Islands are less than 12 nautical miles off the French coastline at their closest proximity. Some French territorial islands stretch across the Atlantic, lie close to the Canadian coastline in north America and even in the Pacific.

China's claim to owning the South China Sea is ridiculous and does not take into account the UN economic zone permitted to any country. If China persists with these stupid claims and attacks the Philippines the West including Japan will stand by the Philippines. China will not win this one and should pull its horns in.We all remember Tibet.