China’s new flash point with US allies is a hot spot for spying
One key problem is that three unilateral maritime boundaries near the island of Baengnyeong remain disputed, opening the door for potential conflict
Bloomberg
Ever since fighting ended in the Korean War nearly seven decades ago, Baengnyeong has been a key location for US allies in Seoul to spy on North Korea. Now the island is on China’s radar.
China spooked South Korea in December last year by sending a warship past a self-imposed boundary near the island to probe the limits of the nation’s claims in the Yellow Sea. The move, described as rare by South Korean lawmakers, came as China’s military bolstered its presence in the disputed waters.
May 5, 2021
Ever since fighting ended in the Korean War nearly seven decades ago, Baengnyeong has been a key location for Seoul to spy on North Korea. Yet now the island is on China’s radar.
China spooked South Korea in December by sending a warship past a self-imposed boundary near the island to probe the limits of the country’s claims in the Yellow Sea. The move, described as rare by South Korean lawmakers, comes as China’s military bolsters its presence in the disputed waters.
Roughly 5,000 residents on Baengnyeong have also become wary of an influx of Chinese fishing boats near the island, which sits in a strategic location perpendicular to the Bohai Strait the main waterway providing access to Beijing. In years past the island’s quartzite beach one of a handful of natural runways in the world was used for sorties in the Korean War.
Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan s air defense zone in challenge to U S msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan s air-defense identification zone on 91 days from January to November, according to a Taipei-based think tank.
Analysts say Beijing s strategy is more about sending a message to the US and the world than it is an attempt to wear down the Taiwanese military and public.
Beijing made a record number of incursions into Taiwan s air defence identification zone last year, but analysts say the hawkish strategy is more a signal to the world than a threat to the island s resolve.
The Chinese air force flew over 380 sorties that entered the island s ADIZ on a record 91 days from January to November, according to a Taiwanese government-funded report released last week by the Taipei-based Institute for National Defence and Security Research.