China continuously exercises in the South China Sea, day and night

Chinese warships in an exercise in the South China Sea – Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Some argue that Beijing is taking advantage of the world’s focus on the situation in Ukraine to take advantage of a show of power in the South China Sea.

Exercises day and night

Commenting on China’s recent protracted exercises, Professor Carl Thayer – Australian Defense Academy – said that the complex exercises were planned in advance and served a number of purposes such as training create and integrate new platforms and technologies, to link forces such as navy and air force.

According to the Australian expert, the exercises of the Chinese navy and air force from March 4 to 15 include complex air force exercises. The PLA Air Force practiced day and night with various types of fighter aircraft and carried out missions from air bases for about 20 hours.

“The big picture shows us that China and the US are strategic rivals and are engaged in a spiral of action and “retaliation” in the South China Sea. In other words, each side reacts to military activities. the other side,” said Professor Thayer.

Mr. Thayer said that the military exercises are designed to demonstrate specific capabilities and determination against the adversary’s naval power. Their night and dawn drills were to meet the timing of the adversary’s air operations.

According to a researcher at the military science and technology research institute in Beijing, “the new training schedule to meet the operations of US aircraft and warships, always takes place from midnight to 2 a.m. ” , Mr. Thayer cited.

In addition, it can be speculated that the time chosen is before the annual Balikatan exercise between the Philippines and the US – one of the biggest exercises in recent years, Professor Thayer replied to Tuoi Tre.

In addition to the two drills mentioned above, the South China Morning Post reported some notable statistics: China conducted nearly 100 nighttime drills in 2021 compared to just 30 in 2020.

Commenting on these moves of China, Mr. Hoang Viet, from the University of Law of Ho Chi Minh City, said that there is information that China has continuously issued drill announcements from March 19 to now to looking for one of their military planes that crashed here during exercise. However, prolonging the exercise even though the plane has been found suggests that China may have other intentions here.

“Given the tense situation in Ukraine that has the whole world focused here, it could lead to neglect in the South China Sea. Against this backdrop, there are concerns that China will seek to increase its positions of power in the South China Sea. their position and influence in the East Sea”, Mr. Viet identify.

Show of strength

Murray Hiebert, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US, said that China seems to want to show that it is not threatened by sending warships through the region. Disputes in the East Sea by the US, Japan, UK… late last year. In addition, the crisis in Ukraine could be a factor influencing China’s decision on the timing of the exercises.

Referring to the fact that China has sent the latest J-11B fighter jets to participate in the exercises, CSIS experts consider this move to be seen as a show of Beijing’s new military technologies.

Thayer also saw a series of moves by China in the South China Sea recently as a propaganda effort by China, to demonstrate how modern and sophisticated its air force is.

Agreeing with the view that Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is currently a top priority for the Biden administration, but Professor Thayer believes that the Biden administration will not reduce its involvement with Southeast Asia or concern with the South China Sea.

Mr. Murray Hiebert said that the recent US – ASEAN Summit has been postponed, but the main reason is that the countries have not agreed on the issue of the time. He also said that the US will not take the East Sea issue lightly because of the situation in Ukraine.

Commenting on the information that China has completely militarized three features including Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands under Vietnam’s sovereignty, Mr. Hiebert said that this information is not new.

“The features that China has illegally militarized have been used by China to conduct harassment of oil and gas exploration activities off the southern coast of Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia,” said Murray Hiebert.