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NEWS Waterfront property in the Spratlys? Good investment or not?

Brett327 said:
China has exploding debt? What is their national debt to GDP ratio?
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China's debt to GDP is 250%. This is made worse by the fact that China's artificial middle class really like being middle class and will not be happy when this bubble bursts. Add to that the ballooning cost involved in displaying that pointless aqua-drone their navy pirated as a war prize (thanks @Randy Daytona) and I see them on the down side of things.
 
President Hu is trying to reassert centralized control over the Chinese military, bureaucracy, and economy. Thus the big corruption show trials of Party bosses and reorganization of the PLA (breaking up fiefdoms), among other things. I'm not any kind of Sinologist, but seems to me he's ice-skating uphill. China's been a collection of warlords for the vast majority of its history, mostly under emperors with little authority outside of the capital. The iron-fisted period of Mao was the exception, not the rule.
 
Griz882 said:
China's debt to GDP is 250%. This is made worse by the fact that China's artificial middle class really like being middle class and will not be happy when this bubble bursts. Add to that the ballooning cost involved in displaying that pointless aqua-drone their navy pirated as a war prize (thanks @Randy Daytona) and I see them on the down side of things.
Click to expand...

A similar article came out in the Financial Times last week.

https://www.ft.com/content/655dd004-bc78-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080

The country is home to the world’s most leveraged corporate sector, a notoriously volatile property sector and a swath of banks that depend on borrowing on the money markets to fund loans. That makes the Chinese economy particularly sensitive to expectations of increasing interest rates...The vast size of China’s debt mountain — which stands at over 250 per cent of gross domestic product, up from 125 per cent in 2008 — means that even minor increases in short-term interest rates may squeeze corporate activity and precipitate defaults, thereby hampering economic growth...“The Taiwan call, along with undiplomatic tweets, gives [Mr Trump] a far away enemy who can be targeted as the source of US ills,” Mr Greenberg said. “China can react very angrily. Could this escalate? Possibly, but it is a little early to say.”
 
Good view of competing claims in the South China Sea.

https://www.stratfor.com/image/spratly-islands-focus

The new features are no match for China's aggressive buildup in the South China Sea, but they are notable for their position. Located on the sea's southwestern rim, Spratly Island stands apart from most of the other islets in the Spratly archipelago, boasting a comparatively large exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of its own. It also serves as Vietnam's key military outpost in the Spratly island chain. But perhaps just as important, Spratly Island rests on the western edge of the nine-dash line that China insists delineates its South China Sea holdings. Should Vietnam's claim to the island be verified, it could invalidate the rest of the nine-dash line boundary.

Spratly-Islands-South-China-Sea-121516_0.png
 
Interesting article today.

China’s Maritime Strategy

In January 2017, a long-anticipated reshuffle of the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) took place. The PLAN and its three fleets each received new commanders. Less noticed, but more significant, was the replacement of General Wang Jiaocheng with Vice Admiral Yuan Yubai (袁誉柏), former commander of the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet, as commander of the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (Global Times, January 22; Global Times, January 22). This is the first time in PLA history that a naval officer has been appointed to command the multi-service forces of one of its regional combatant headquarters (China Brief, March 31). Most importantly, his appointment is indicative of the shift in China’s military posture from continental defense to maritime security, and the importance of the Southern Theater as a predominantly maritime arena for PLA operations

http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/06/12/chinas_maritime_strategy_111569.html
 
Today's New York Times has a good update from the South China Sea. 3,200 acres is a good chunk of real estate.

New Photos Suggest Scale of Development on South China Sea’s Contested Islands

Since the construction first began in 2013, China has developed more than 3,200 acres across the area. More recently, the Chinese have turned their attention from dredging and reclaiming land to building airstrips, radar and communications facilities and hangars.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/...column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
 
^^^Don't see a Mickie D's on 'em yet. That's when shit gets real.
 
Nothing particularly new here for those who have been paying attention.
 
Nothing particularly new except the perspective, those troopships and the LPD docked at Mischef Reef show just how big some of those islands are now along with the attendant infrastructure that was built. Pretty impressive, especially given how fast they did it all.
 
One strong earthquake or a tsunami and that place is underwater.
 
I'm sure the P-8s will be keeping tabs on them, because you know, that's their mission.... ISR, not ASW.... It's almost like someone purposefully made that decision...
 
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