The United States, Japan, and Australia have made it clear that they want to support the Philippines, and for this reason, they began a four-nation joint military exercise in the South China Sea on April 7. In fact, the U.S. military's actions in the South China Sea are not only to participate in the four-nation military exercises, but also the combat deployment of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group in the South China Sea in the recent stage, as well as the intelligence gathering activities of MQ-4C drones entering the South China Sea on a regular basis, and even the U.S. Air Force's F-35A fighter jets in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines began to launch provocations against China in 2023, and although the Chinese coast guard did not give the Philippines a chance to cross the red line, the Philippines still did not give up and continued to launch a sprint against China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Since the beginning of 2024, the Philippine provocation has a tendency to expand, in fact, it is also directly related to the United States' support for the Philippines. The purpose of the United States is very clear, which is to incite a conflict between the Philippines and China, preferably to the point of escalating to the point of a military conflict, so that it can provide a pretext for sanctions against China and interference.
By provoking the conflict in Ukraine, the United States has provided a basis for increasing sanctions against Russia, and the United States and the European Union have repeatedly adopted sanctions against Russia, thereby further compressing Russia's living space. As a result of its success in the Ukraine crisis, the United States has tried to replicate the conflict in the South China Sea, so it has a commitment to the Philippines, and the United States has repeatedly publicly emphasized the so-called "U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty", thus actively encouraging the Philippines to take the initiative to conflict with China. Since 2024, the Philippines has launched provocations on four islands and reefs, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has publicly threatened that the Philippines will take reciprocal countermeasures in response to the law enforcement actions of the Chinese coast guard.
The joint military exercises of the United States, Japan, and Australia in the South China Sea by the Philippines are a military action by the United States to further give confidence to the Philippines, and the PLA will not be accustomed to the plot of the United States, Japan, and Australia to support the Philippines and force China to make concessions through military deterrence. According to the announcement issued by the Southern Theater of Operations, on April 7, that is, at the same time as the joint military exercises of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, the People's Liberation Army launched a joint naval and air combat patrol operation in the South China Sea.
Led by the US military, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines are all willing to be cannon fodder, and the PLA Southern Theater of Operations has taken decisive action against the military operations of the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, directly warning the United States and its hardcore allies. Now that the PLA has a powerful comprehensive combat capability, it is obvious that the PLA will not be afraid of the United States in the South China Sea; in fact, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines are all followers of the United States, so the joint naval and air combat patrols in the southern theater of the PLA are mainly aimed at the United States, and this is a tactic of striking snakes and striking seven inches.