China has wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons at South China Sea: experts

[Feng Leng]

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1193485.shtml

The US is sending two aircraft carriers and other warships to the South China Sea for exercises on Saturday at a time when the Chinese military is also conducting drills in the South China Sea's Xisha Islands.

After criticizing China just two days ago for holding exercises, the US again showed its hypocrisy and demonstrated that it is the real source of potential regional instability, analysts said.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz aircraft carriers are holding large-scale exercises in the South China Sea together with four other warships starting Saturday, CNN reported on Saturday.

This means the US exercises are coinciding with China's drills in the South China Sea near the Xisha Islands, which run from Wednesday to Sunday, according to a notice released by China's Maritime Safety Administration.

In a statement on Thursday, the Pentagon claimed the Chinese drills were "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability," Reuters reported.

"The US is saying one thing and doing another. It is applying different standards on China's actions than it does on its own," a military expert who asked not to be identified told the Global Times on Saturday.

China's Foreign Ministry previously called similar US moves "flexing of muscles by some non-regional country that lies tens of thousands of miles away."

Three US aircraft carriers have been conducting exercises in the Philippine Sea just outside of the South China Sea since June, which has stirred regional tensions, Chinese military observers said, noting that the Chinese drills are regularly scheduled exercises aimed at safeguarding China's territorial integrity and sovereignty and do not target any other country.

Beijing-based military expert Li Jie told the Global Times that the US is attempting to show off its military capability to the world, threaten China and enforce its hegemonic policies.

The South China Sea is fully within the grasp of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and any US aircraft carrier movement in the region is solely at the pleasure of the PLA, which has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like the DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" missiles, analysts noted.

In response to the Pentagon's statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Friday that Xisha Islands are indisputably China's inherent territory. China's military exercises in the seas off Xisha Islands are within our sovereignty and beyond reproach. The fundamental cause of instability in the South China Sea is the large-scale military activities and flexing of muscles by some non-regional country that lies tens of thousands of miles away.

Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times that the US has been frequently sending warships and warplanes to the South China Sea, even entering other countries' territorial waters and violating their sovereignty in the name of "freedom of navigation" operations. The US is the real source behind South China Sea's militarization, and it is in no position to criticize China for its rightful actions, he said.


USN is making a move to take control of Scarborough Shoal. PLAN is ready to defend it by sinking US aircraft carriers. If USN fails to take Scarborough Shoal this time then Philippines will realize they are a paper tiger and cancel US military bases.

 

[Feng Leng]

Rare US dual aircraft carrier drills in South China Sea ‘a show’ for allies

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1193564.shtml

At a time when relations between China and the US are further deteriorating over a series of topics including trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the US has deployed two aircraft carriers and other warships to the South China Sea for its largest-scale exercises in the region in years, which also coincided with Chinese military drills taking place in the same area and time frame.

The two US aircraft carrier battle groups are nothing more than paper tigers on China's doorsteps, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) fully grasps the region with specially made weapons that can destroy aircraft carrier, and US drills are a mere show to make up for its loss of face regarding epidemic control, and indicated it knows it has lost its Hong Kong card following China's national security legislation, forcing it to shift focus to the South China Sea and Taiwan to contain China, analysts said on Sunday.

The PLA is conducting intensive drills and has recently tested a new naval missile in the Bohai Sea, and is ready to defend against aggression, reports said.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz aircraft carriers are holding large-scale exercises in the South China Sea together with four other warships starting Saturday, CNN reported on Saturday.

Since the South China Sea arbitration in 2016, the US has not conducted joint operations featuring two carriers near the South China Sea. According to Zhengzhijian, a WeChat public account run by Beijing Youth Daily, the last time two US carriers conducted exercises in the South China Sea was in 2014.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday that the US move aimed at enhancing its military presence in the West Pacific, is designed to show off that its hegemony in the region is unshakable, and boost confidence for its regional allies.

Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times that the US is pushing its aircraft carriers onto the frontlines to show its military power remains the strongest in the world despite having been hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic. It was once left with no aircraft carrier to use in the Asia Pacific region for more than two months.

The US is also attempting to deter PLA movements in the South China Sea and on the Taiwan question, Song said.

The US has been playing its Hong Kong card to contain China's development for the past years, but after the national security law for Hong Kong came into effect on Tuesday, it's well aware that it has lost this card, so the US has shifted its focus to the South China Sea and Taiwan, in which military might plays an important role, analysts said.

Chinese drills and missile tests

Not only are US exercises with two aircraft carriers in the South China Sea rare, it's also rare that China is also holding drills in the South China Sea in the same time frame.

According to a notice released by China's Maritime Safety Administration, the Chinese drills, also in the South China Sea, near the Xisha Islands, run from Wednesday to Sunday.

In separate operations, the PLA has been conducting intensive drills in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea recently, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday. Advanced warships including Type 052D guided missile destroyers and Type 054A guided missile frigates were involved.

In the Bohai Sea, the PLA Navy recently test launched an undisclosed new type of missile, CCTV reported on Saturday. The report did not elaborate on the missile's purpose, but footage suggests it can be launched from a warship.

Three US aircraft carriers have been conducting exercises in the Philippine Sea just outside the South China Sea since June, which has stirred up regional tensions, Chinese military observers said, noting that Chinese drills are regularly scheduled exercises aimed at safeguarding China's territorial integrity and sovereignty and do not target any other country.

The South China Sea is fully within the grasp of the PLA, and any US aircraft carrier movement in the region is closely watched and taken aim at by the PLA, which has a wide range of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like the DF-21D and DF-26, which are both regarded as "aircraft carrier killer" missiles, analysts noted.

Song said that it's unrealistic for the US to wage a war against China with just two aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, and it's very unlikely the two sides could accidentally spark a conflict due to the drills.

The US drills are just a show performed for its West Pacific allies and Taiwan secessionists, and the Chinese drills are meant to bolster the PLA's combat capabilities, Song said, noting that the PLA can conduct surveillance missions on US drills, and expel US surveillance attempts using proper measures.

In response to a Pentagon statement on Thursday that accused Chinese drills in the Xisha Islands of being "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Friday that the Xisha Islands are indisputably part of China's inherent territory.

China's military exercises in the seas off Xisha Islands are within our sovereignty and beyond reproach, Zhao said, noting that the fundamental cause of instability in the South China Sea is due to large-scale military activities and flexing of muscles by some non-regional country that lies tens of thousands of miles away.


This is the battle for Scarborough Shoal!

 

[Yaseen1]

it is much cheaper to destroy aircraft carrier as compared to rebuilding them