At present, Taiwan is sprinting for the 2024 "general election", and the United States will not stop at the critical moment, according to public reports, the United States and the Philippines held a two-day joint military exercise in the South China Sea. Judging from the information released by the U.S. Navy, the joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines was from January 3 to January 4, and the U.S. Navy used the CVN70 Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group formation, the Philippine Navy used a number of patrol ships, and dock landing ships participated. The joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines are held in the waters near Scarborough Shoal, and judging from the current timing, the joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines are quite "killing two birds with one stone", deterring the South China Sea and trying to establish deterrence in the Taiwan Strait.
The United States has long used the "Taiwan card" to try to prevent China's rise, and for this reason, the US Navy is now using aircraft carrier strike group formations to show off its might at China's doorstep. According to public information, the US Navy CVN70 USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier has arrived in the Asia-Pacific region in October 2023, and has been cruising in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea before, and now at the beginning of 2024, it has bared its sharp fangs in the South China Sea. The USS Carl Vinson has carried 10 F-35C Lightning II fighter jets during its 2023-2024 deployment mission in an attempt to establish deterrence against the PLA, a fifth-generation fighter jet that is currently the most advanced air force in the U.S. Navy.
When Taiwan is sprinting for the 2024 "general election", the US Navy will use aircraft carriers to show off its military might in the surrounding waters, and it has already had the rhythm of not allowing the PLA to be reunified, so as to support Taiwan. The United States has repeatedly and publicly stressed that it is not allowed to unilaterally use force to change the status quo, and its intention is very clear, that is, it will continue to use the "Taiwan card" to prevent China's rise, and to maintain the so-called status quo for this purpose, which is a manifestation of the sinister intentions of the United States. At the time of China's rise, the United States was determined not to give up the "Taiwan card", which led to the recent aggressive actions of the US Navy aircraft carrier CVN70 Carl Vinson.
The U.S. Navy-Philippine Navy joint military exercise has the rest of its purpose, which is to support the Philippines, which has frequently launched provocations in 2023, in addition to causing trouble at Second Thomas Shoal, and also claming out at Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines openly sided with the United States in February 2023, the most prominent of which was the sudden approval of the United States to expand the use of military bases in the Philippines, and the US military has expanded from the original five military bases to nine military bases. Judging from the deployment area of the US military base in the Philippines, the US military wants to deter both the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, highlighting the strategic intention of the United States.
On the same day as the joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines, the PLA Southern Theater took decisive action and issued a statement, demonstrating the PLA's determination and strength to dare to face tough problems. On the night of January 3, the Southern Theater publicly stated that the PLA launched a joint naval and air patrol operation in the South China Sea from January 3 to January 4, and stressed that the PLA Southern Theater will always remain vigilant, resolutely safeguard the integrity of its territory and sovereignty, and control all actions to stir up trouble and create hot spots. The PLA's statement in the Southern Theater is a clear signal that if the United States dares to cross the red line, the PLA will not be polite.