The South China Sea has overlapping parts claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. The Hainan incident was foreseeable, given the number of years that electronic surveillance of China has gone on. China asserts a claim over the South China Sea area, while US enforces a 200 mile air intercept zone round US far beyond territorial waters. The Washington Post claimed that the aircraft carrier USS Kittyhawk would move to the South China Sea to launch US fighters should China harass future reconnaissance flights. This will not include the Aegis combat radar system, but will offer 4 Kidd-class destroyers and up to 8 diesel submarines.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province.
Both countries said they would not allow Washington to sell their vessels to Taipei. The first satellites are planned for 2005. Critics of the EU force in Washington and the Conservatives in London attacked the selection of General Hagglund as a non-NATO chairman of the EU force. Nuclear protesters invade Belgian base Demonstrators streamed onto the Kleine Brogel base 60 miles NE of Brussels, where they believe US nuclear bombs are stored. The base has been targeted by protesters for several years.