Branding the U.S. and Japan as “paper tigers” and “eunuchs”, China’s state media on Thursday said that the military should remain ready for “counter attack” if American warships hold exercises near islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.
An editorial titled ‘Blustering U.S. a paper tiger in S. China Sea’ in the state-run Global Times said that the U.S. has voiced the strongest support for the verdict against China on Tuesday by The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. U.S. has said that the award was legally binding.
“More politicians and congressmen from the House and Senate have also made fiercer remarks, demanding regular challenges to China’s excessive maritime claims through naval and air patrols. Japan’s stance is precisely the same as that of the U.S., as if they have discussed their lines,” it said.
The tabloid daily said that on the contrary the attitude of the Philippines — which filed the petition against China at the tribunal — is relatively mild as it called for restraint.
“An old Chinese saying goes ‘the emperor doesn’t worry but his eunuch does,’ meaning the outsider is more anxious than the player. In this case, Washington and Tokyo are the worrying eunuchs,” it said.
“The People’s Liberation Army should enhance its military deployment in the waters of the Nansha Islands [Spratly islands] and be fully prepared to counterattack if the U.S. makes further provocations,” the editorial added. — PTI
