People's Liberation Army Conducts Large-Scale Military Exercises in South China Sea for Five Days Starting Today
Chinese State-Affiliated Scholars Fiercely Criticize US 'Large-Scale Naval Exercise 2021' Claiming Gang Formation
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China is conducting large-scale naval exercises in the South China Sea in response to the Western bloc's 'Large-scale Naval Exercise (LES) 2021,' including the United States. The exercise is reported to include live-fire drills of medium-range ballistic missiles such as the Dongfeng (DF) 26 missile, known as the aircraft carrier killer. Additionally, China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, is expected to participate in this exercise.
According to Chinese media including the state-run Global Times on the 6th, the People's Liberation Army Navy will conduct live-fire exercises in the South China Sea from today until the 10th. In relation to this, the China Maritime Safety Administration set navigation restriction zones for vessels the day before, prohibiting ship operations in the relevant waters.
The Global Times reported that the current navigation restriction zones are similar to those during the naval military exercises conducted in August last year, noting that the exercise area is very extensive. It also forecasted that there would be launches of the Dongfeng (DF) 26 and the anti-ship ballistic missile Dongfeng (DF) 21, both known as aircraft carrier killers. Last year, the Chinese military launched the DF-26 and DF-21 missiles, with ranges of 4,000 km and 1,000 km respectively, from Qinghai Province and Zhejiang Province.
The Global Times emphasized that through this exercise, the Chinese military will demonstrate that it possesses the hunting rifle to catch the wolves (the United States and other Western bloc countries) hungry for China's core interests. It also projected that the Shandong, China's second aircraft carrier, will participate in the exercise. The Shandong is reportedly currently on standby in the South China Sea.
Military expert Fu Qianshao predicted, "The exercise is expected to include missile drills of the Dongfeng series, known as aircraft carrier killers, and missile launches based on aircraft carriers, submarines, and fighter jets may also be conducted together."
The Global Times explained the background of the exercise, stating that the United States, along with the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, and India, is conducting large-scale naval exercises across 17 time zones worldwide, including the Western Pacific region, and that China's large-scale naval military exercise is intended to respond to these.
Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy training in the South China Sea (Photo by China Military Online)
The Global Times reported that the British Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group is currently moving toward the South China Sea along with the German Bayern destroyer, and India is planning to dispatch five warships to the South China Sea.
Xu Guangyu, senior advisor to the China Arms Control Association, described the purpose of this exercise as "a warning to the United States, which has rallied a gang." He added, "Even if warships from 100 countries enter the South China Sea, China's resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and security will not waver," and warned, "If war breaks out in the South China Sea, East China Sea, or Taiwan Strait, it will show that the Chinese military has the upper hand."
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that, as originally planned, from the 9th to the 13th, it will conduct the 'West-Unity 2021' exercise with Russian forces at the Qingtongxia military base in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense emphasized that the purpose of this China-Russia joint exercise is to jointly safeguard peace and stability in Central Asia following the United States' irresponsible withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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