Following the 2024 China-US Maritime Military Security Consultation Mechanism Working Group Meeting held by the Chinese and US militaries in Hawaii a few days ago, the senior leaders of the two militaries recently held another video call. According to the WeChat public account "Ministry of Defense Release" on the 17th, on the evening of April 16, Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video call with US Secretary of Defense Austin at the request. During the phone call, Defense Minister Dong Jun made clear demands on the United States on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea issues, stressing that the United States should clearly recognize China's firm position, earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and take concrete actions to safeguard regional peace and the stability of China-US and military relations.
In fact, since Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China has suspended the communication channels between the two militaries, and the United States has always wanted to resume dialogue, and has continued to create a very urgent image. However, we are very clear about what kind of calculus the United States has in mind. For a long time, they have been showing so-called sincerity on the one hand, and on the other hand, they have done everything possible to contain China. It can be said that the responsibility for the lack of communication between the Chinese and American militaries lies entirely with the United States, and Austin should perhaps think about why he had the opportunity to speak with Defense Minister Dong after 18 months since he met with the then Chinese defense minister in Cambodia in November 2022.
However, judging by the performance of the United States, they did not cherish this hard-won opportunity for communication. At the same time as the high-level phone call between the Chinese and US militaries, the US media disclosed another bombshell news to the outside world. According to the official website of the U.S. Army Pacific, the U.S. Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force has deployed the medium-range missile system "Typhon" in northern Luzon, Philippines, which is based on the U.S. Navy's Mk41 vertical launch system and converted into a semi-trailer-type land launcher, mainly used to launch "Tomahawk" cruise missiles. The US media used the word "milestone" to describe the deployment, and emphasized that after the deployment of the intermediate-range missile system in the Philippines, the range can not only completely cover the entire Luzon Strait, but also fly to China's coastal areas and major military bases in the South China Sea. The U.S. "War Zone" website wrote in a report that the arrival of "Typhon" sent a "strong signal" to the entire (Western Pacific) region, and to China in particular. The wording can be said to be full of threats to China.
There is no doubt that after the first summit of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines to talk about the South China Sea issue, US missiles are now stationed in the Philippines with great fanfare, which shows that the US style of play seems to be gradually moving towards a radicalized side. As early as the beginning of this month, the commander of the US Pacific Army, Flynn, released rumors in an interview with Japanese media that the US military planned to deploy medium-range missile systems in the Indo-Pacific region. At that time, China only responded, with no intention of competing with any country in military strength, and at the same time resolutely opposed the deployment of medium-range missiles by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region in order to seek unilateral military superiority. But now the United States has ignored our warnings and put this plan into practice, making it clear that it wants to provoke China.
Since the United States is determined to have a new contest in the Indo-Pacific region, China's countermeasures will no longer stop at verbal warnings. According to domestic media reports, on the 15th, Rojo, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and director of the Political Department of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, arrived in Beijing by invitation and held a meeting with the top level of the People's Liberation Army. In his response, Rojo explicitly mentioned the phrase "jointly opposing hegemony and bullying".
If the United States remembers the "Cuban missile" crisis that broke out during the Cold War, it should understand that blindly establishing an atmosphere of confrontation will not do the United States any good, and if everything is done in the American way, China can completely share some deterrent technology with Cuba under the promise of "supporting and supporting the building and development of the Cuban armed forces," so as to achieve the effect of countering the United States!