Precision Strikes in Eastern Taiwan Waters, Missile Interception Line Being Established in Eastern Japan Waters
China SCSPI Conducted 95 Military Drills in South China Sea Last Year to Deter US-China Tensions
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese media reported that the United States is formulating a new China containment strategy based on the International Date Line and is currently conducting practical verification.
Chinese media claimed that the United States conducted a total of 95 large-scale military exercises near the South China Sea last year to review its war strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.
The state-run Global Times cited a report from the South China Sea Strategic Posture Initiative (SCSPI), a think tank at Peking University in Beijing, stating on the 28th that the confirmed naval exercises conducted by the U.S. military near the South China Sea last year reached 95 times.
Among these, 81 were joint exercises involving Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, France, Canada, and others, while the remaining 14 were U.S. military-only exercises. It added that the U.S. military-only exercises were comprehensive drills involving the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army.
The Global Times emphasized that the U.S. military deployed a large number of strategic weapons, including four aircraft carriers and eleven nuclear-powered submarines, in the naval exercises near the South China Sea last year, and that U.S. reconnaissance aircraft flew at least 1,200 sorties to monitor China.
The media reported that the U.S. allocated a budget of $3.8 billion this year for the development of hypersonic missiles such as the AGM-183A, which has a range exceeding 900 km, and explained that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is building a new strategy focused on precision strikes against China and missile defense.
The Global Times analyzed that the U.S. military is establishing a Chinese precision strike attack line in the waters east of Taiwan based on the International Date Line, and a Chinese missile interception defense line in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan, aiming to tighten its grip on China.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, said, "The U.S. considers that not only its aircraft carriers but also all U.S. military bases in South Korea and Japan are no longer safe," adding, "After establishing new military operational strategies such as multi-domain military operations, long-range expeditionary operations, and maritime distributed combat operations near the South China Sea last year, the U.S. is currently conducting on-site verification."
The Global Times warned that the U.S. is trying to contain China's expansion through new combat strategies, but excessive U.S. containment of China will only provoke a firm backlash from China.
Meanwhile, the SCSPI report was released ahead of the Balikatan joint exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines, scheduled to be held from the 28th to the 8th of next month in the waters northwest of Manila, Philippines. The Balikatan joint exercises will involve 5,100 U.S. troops and 3,800 Philippine troops.
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