see url:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/12/china/china-maritime-militia-explainer-intl-hnk-ml-dst/index.html
see full report...Now...isn't that amazing...It always surprises me just
how little that the USG has which other countries do have...Like another
nation state having a navy (maritime militia) which doesn't exist. The
USA doesn't have that sort of thing of course...well...they did have
Glomar...but there again...in the interests of global diplomacy and
international transparency...the USA declared to the whole wide world
all the navy it has...😉. Wouldn't be ethical and above board
otherwise...don't let the cat out of the barrel...(to mix naval
metaphors a little bit) nudge nudge...say no more...know what I mean😉
Quote<<<
Hong Kong (CNN)They've been dubbed China's "Little Blue Men," an
allegedly Beijing-controlled maritime militia that analysts say could be
hundreds of boats and thousands of crew members strong.
China doesn't acknowledge their existence and when questioned, refers to
them as a "so-called maritime militia."
But Western experts say the alleged militia is an integral part of
Beijing's efforts to exert its territorial claims in the South China Sea
and beyond. They claim its blue-painted vessels and their crews --
allegedly funded and controlled by the People's Liberation Army -- can
quickly bring a Chinese presence so large around disputed reefs and
islands they are almost impossible to challenge without triggering a
military confrontation.
The apparent militia made headlines last month when more than 200
Chinese fishing boats crowded around Whitsun Reef, a Philippine
possession in the Spratly Island chain in the South China Sea.
Analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in
Singapore say they've never seen a Chinese operation of this size before.
"The Whitsun Reef incident is unprecedented in scale and notable for its
duration: the largest numbers of Chinese fishing vessels gathered at any
time at one Spratly reef, and staying there for several weeks," Samir
Puri and Greg Austin, both senior fellows at the IISS, wrote last week
on the organization's blog.
>>>End of Quote
