What is real behind the myth of freedom of navigation

 Freedom of navigation in the regional seas has been harped by the Americans in every occasion available to raise tension and fear among the Asean countries. Hugh White, the Professor from Australian National University has an article in the ST last week to demystify this rubbish talk of the Americans.
 
Freedom of navigation in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea has never been an issue. There were a few cases of piracy that were nothing more than mosquito bites and could easily be dealt with by the coast guards of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. There is no need to bring in the American Seventh Fleet and all the nuclear tipped missiles to deal with the pirates. And even if the pirates were navy guys in civilians, like the Pinoys in the South China Sea harassing and bullying the fishing boats and kidnapping them for ransom, they can be easily taken care of. The Taiwanese have shown the Pinoys that they would sink their navy ships if they dare to attack their fishing boats again. China is going to sink their biggest antique warship with compliments from the Americans.
 
So what is the real issue of this freedom of navigation shit? When it was the Straits of Malacca, the Americans were aiming at the Malaysians and the Indonesians. In the South China Sea, the target is China. But then, the whole thing is a hogwash. All the three countries have never threatened freedom of navigation in the region. All of them, according to Hugh White, needed freedom of navigation for trade. How on earth would they threaten freedom of navigation against their national interest?
 
The American humbug played at the highest key with the biggest orchestra is all noise to deceive the countries in the region. The tension and bickering by pesky countries like the Philippines and at one time Vietnam and India, were all the works of the Americans egging them on. Now with Vietnam and India backing out, Japan is now dragged into the frying pan, willingly of course, with the new right govt of Abe aspiring to rearm Japan as the new military power in the region. Under normal circumstances the Americans would have objected after suffering from the devastating sneak attack of Pearl Harbour and the thousands of American lives lost. The Americans would want to continue to keep this barbaric people under a pacifist constitution they imposed on Japan. But because of its wild big power ambition and rivalry with Japan, they are willing to use the Japanese card to give trouble to China. American is consenting and helping Japan to rearm and return to its military past.
 
Hope the Japanese would be strong enough to return the Americans the favour of two nuclear bombs to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But before that, the Americans would be using the Japanese to raise tension in the region, with the Pinoys in tow.
So much for the fear of freedom of navigation in the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea. When have the Indonesians or the Malaysians or the Chinese done anything to threaten freedom of navigation? The real threats of freedom of navigation is when the American Seventh Fleet is here to choke up the passages and control the movement of ships through the region, and to conduct searches as and when they like on the pretext of intelligence reports of terrorism.