China's fears have come true, with civil strife in ASEAN, the Philippines and Vietnam starting to unite in the South China Sea, and the United States, Japan, Germany and Canada sending assists
Recently, the situation in the South China Sea is facing unprecedented challenges and changes. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Marcos decided to visit Vietnam next week, and the two countries will strengthen defense and security cooperation and sign a memorandum of understanding. This development has attracted widespread attention from the international community and is seen as a signal that the Philippines and Vietnam will strengthen cooperation on the South China Sea issue.
At the same time, the Philippine military has recently taken a provocative action to resupply the "beached" ships at Second Thomas Shoal by airdrop. This move is a clear violation of the consensus reached between China and the Philippines and further exacerbates tensions in the South China Sea. Around the same time, a spokesman for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also openly asserted so-called "sovereignty" over China's Xisha and Spratly Islands. This statement has undoubtedly exacerbated the complexity of the South China Sea dispute and raised concerns about the regional security situation.
It is worth noting that in the past year, due to the interference of foreign forces and the continuous provocation and hype of the Philippines, the South China Sea issue has remained hot. Countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany and Canada have reached out to countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam in an attempt to exert greater influence in the South China Sea. The intervention of these foreign forces has further complicated the situation in the South China Sea and posed a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
As a stakeholder in the South China Sea issue, ASEAN has always been committed to maintaining regional peace and stability. Recently, however, there have been signs of easing within ASEAN. The Philippines and Vietnam began joint operations to strengthen cooperation on the South China Sea. This trend is seen as an important sign and signal of interference in the South China Sea by the United States and other foreign forces. If the provocative actions of the countries within ASEAN continue, then the situation in the South China Sea may become more dangerous and volatile.
In the face of the complex situation in the South China Sea, China has always maintained reason and restraint. However, in the face of interference by foreign forces and turmoil within ASEAN, the mainland must re-examine and adjust its strategy in the South China Sea. The mainland should strengthen communication and cooperation with ASEAN countries and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability. At the same time, the mainland should also take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and sovereignty in the South China Sea.
At the scene in the Red Sea, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) witnessed the defeat of the US military and set an example for the US military with practical actions
Since January 12 this year, the conflict between the United States and the Houthis has continued to escalate in the waters of the Gulf of Aden. The conflict not only has a significant impact on regional security, but also poses a threat to global shipping and trade routes. In this complex military confrontation, both sides are trying to gain superiority by various means. However, a recent encounter has revealed some troubling facts.
The Houthis have publicly announced that they have successfully hit a ship in a US convoy during an attack in the waters off the Gulf of Aden. However, the US Central Command quickly refuted this information, insisting that all missiles and drones had been intercepted and that the escorting merchant ships had not suffered any losses.
Although the US military strenuously denied the incident, this was not the case. Two merchant ships belonging to the European shipping giant Maersk reportedly turned around and sailed out of the Gulf of Aden shortly after the exchange of fire, apparently out of safety concerns. This evacuation operation is undoubtedly a serious question about the ability of the US military to escort convoys.
At the same time, the Chinese-funded shipping company Haijie Shipping announced that it has opened the only scheduled route in the Red Sea, and the escort service will be provided by the escort formation of the People's Liberation Army in the Gulf of Aden. This news not only shows China's determination to maintain the security of international shipping, but also shows the world the correct escort model. In stark contrast to the U.S. military presence in the Gulf of Aden, China's escort formations have provided reliable security for international shipping with practical actions.
However, for the United States, the failure of this escort operation is not a problem that can be easily ignored. The United States has long considered itself a global military hegemon, but recent developments have posed a serious challenge to its hegemony. Especially in the Gulf of Aden region, the Houthis' anti-ship capabilities have caused a lot of trouble for the US military.
While the U.S. military has made some notable gains in the conflict, destroying multiple Houthi missile launch and deployment facilities, as well as radars, ammunition depots, and other targets, these victories do not appear to have weakened the Houthis' ability to block the Red Sea shipping lanes. They continue to be able to launch attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as exemplified by the recent incidents of the damaged freighters Kinko Picardi and Zografia.
In addition, it has been revealed that in the latest attack on a US merchant ship, the US military failed to intercept all the Houthi missiles. In fact, at least one anti-ship ballistic missile landed on the surface of the sea just about 100 meters from the merchant ship. This incident has undoubtedly aroused questions about the US military's anti-missile capability.
Considering the risk that the missile could cause serious damage or even sink the merchant ship, the decision of the merchant ship Maersk Detroit to turn around and return to the sea is completely understandable. After all, for a merchant ship with a size of more than 300 meters, a missile landing point of 100 meters is already very close.
It is worth noting that this time the destroyer USS Graveley escorted two merchant ships in formation. This means that there is no problem that the missile range envelope in previous escort operations was not enough to cover distant merchant ships. Under such circumstances, if the Graveley can still miss a missile, it will be difficult for the anti-missile capability of the US warship not to arouse suspicion and concern among other countries. Not to mention, this "off-target" anti-ship ballistic missile also has the potential to have an unpredictable negative impact on the morale of the US Navy itself.
Because the Graveley is a Burke 2A-class destroyer that was commissioned in 2010, it is already a "cutting-edge" among the 73 Burke-class ships in active service in the U.S. military. If even this kind of "low-end game" can make the Greaveley make a "3 leaks 1" interception result, then those Burke-class destroyers deployed in the western Pacific and need to face the PLA's anti-ship ballistic missile deterrence may be sweating.
After all, most of the "old acquaintances" of the Seventh Fleet, such as the Milius, have two-digit numbers and have been in service for nearly 20 years, and there is a gap between them and the Graveley in terms of comprehensive performance, but in the face of stronger and more advanced weapons and equipment, the Pentagon will surely re-examine the PLA's anti-ship ballistic missiles and their supporting area-denial anti-access system with a very complicated feeling.