The photo shows the P-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft
On April 17, a U.S. P-8 anti-submarine patrol plane flew over the Taiwan Strait, and it is worth noting that the day before, that is, on the 4th and 16th, the Chinese and US defense ministers just had a video call. It stands to reason that the crisis should have eased somewhat, but the result is the same as before, which inevitably raises concerns about the future trend of Sino-US relations and the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
In recent years, the freedom of military aircraft overflights and ship crossings in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea is not news.
Although the Chinese military has given stern warnings, monitored the whole process, and finally driven away, the US military still goes its own way, and military aircraft and warships frequently experience "freedom". It is true that in the international airspace and territorial waters recognized by the "United Nations Law of the Sea," aircraft and ships of any country have the freedom to traverse, but the US military frequently visits here not to experience "freedom," but to do two things: First, to "put on a show" for the surrounding anti-China forces to contain China, but to collect the latest intelligence on the forward bases of the PLA Navy and Air Force.
The history of Sino-American naval and air frictions
The most extreme accident occurred on the morning of 1 April 2001, when an EP-3 "Aries" electronic reconnaissance plane of the US military intruded into a sensitive airspace in the South China Sea, and two J-8II fighters of the Chinese Air Force were ordered to intercept them.
The picture shows Wang Wei's landline
The picture shows pilot Wang Wei
The pilot of the fighter plane, Wang Wei, was not heard from during the month-long search and rescue operation, and the military confirmed that Wang Wei had died. Later, the US military plane was also dismounted and sent back to the United States.
In addition to the collision of military aircraft, there have also been many collisions between Chinese and US warships, the most famous of which was the "Immaculate" incident. The Flawless is a catamaran survey vessel with a large number of sophisticated electronics on board, mainly used to collect and analyze underwater noise, which can release towed array sonar up to thousands of kilometers long.
In March 2009, the US spy ship "Flawless" intruded into the waters south of Hainan Island in an attempt to detect intelligence on the PLA submarine base. Since then, the Chinese maritime militia has begun to attract attention from the outside world
The picture shows the spy ship "Flawless".
It's called "freedom", but it's actually "acting"
As for crossing the Taiwan Strait, its purpose is closer to "acting" than to gathering intelligence. Because even if China wants to use force against Taiwan, it does not need to deploy and mobilize too many troops on the west coast of the Taiwan Strait, and the intelligence gathering capability of one P-8 patrol plane is not enough to clearly see all the deployments and movements of China's troops in several southeastern provinces.
Pictured is U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
In recent years, the United States has frequently taken moves to woo Asia-Pacific countries, some of which have provided economic benefits, some have provided military assistance, and some have jointly held military exercises, but the United States believes that Southeast Asian countries that have maritime sovereignty disputes with China need to be more bold. Even if the quality and quantity of the Chinese military's military aircraft far exceed those of Southeast Asian countries, when the US military makes such a fuss, those countries will see that the "boss" has taken action, and "we" should not be intimidated. This is probably one of the reasons why the Philippines has recently dared to provoke Chinese maritime law enforcement ships at Scarborough Shoal and Mischief Reef.
In addition to "acting" Southeast Asian countries, this "acting" should still be for the Taiwan leader. The meaning of the United States is probably to say, you see, I, the United States, have not abandoned you, I come every time with swagger, and they don't dare to do anything to me. Of course, on the one hand, the United States has encouraged the Taiwan independence forces, but on the other hand, it has not allowed them to go too far and cannot go to the step of "de jure Taiwan independence." Therefore, the United States wants to maintain the status quo of maintaining Taiwan, which is neither reunification nor independence.
The picture shows the twin aircraft carriers of the US Navy "Truman" and "Ford".
The Chinese military also has a countermeasure to deal with this, and isn't the United States standing up for the Taiwan independence forces? Then we will also take action to kill your sharp spirit. As a result, since the beginning of 2020, the number of PLA military aircraft flying around Taiwan has increased almost every year, most recently on March 12, 2024.
On the same day, the Chinese Air Force dispatched two H-6K and one Y-9 electronic reconnaissance plane to fly over the Miyako Strait and then fly to the airspace east of Taiwan before returning home. Outside analysts believe that the PLA's move is undoubtedly an anti-access/area denial operation close to the actual combat drill to blockade the waters east of Taiwan, and that safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty is by no means a few hard words, but relying on real skills and doing what it says.
The picture shows the H-6K bomber group
The picture shows the field artillery of the Taiwan army during the exercise
Oppose Taiwan independence with unmanned systems
On the one hand, China must take targeted countermeasures and respond to the reckless behavior of the US military, and on the other hand, it must also prepare for the event of an unexpected incident in Taiwan, such as the Taiwan independence forces brazenly declaring independence at a certain time and in the international situation, and the United States and Western countries have announced their recognition of their independent status.
The picture shows a submarine of the Taiwan military
Considering that China has more cost advantages than the United States and Western countries in unmanned technology, the PLA can send more unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ships and unmanned underwater vehicles in future flights and cruises around Taiwan, and can independently form an unmanned corps, or it can accompany and cooperate with the PLA's manned combat platforms to encircle Taiwan independence forces.
In particular, compared with other branches of the military, Taiwan's navy is even weaker, especially Taiwan's submarine force, which has only four old and outdated submarines in active service, two of which are Walrus-class conventional submarines imported from the Netherlands and have been in service for more than 30 years, and the other two are imported from the United States and have a service period of 50 years, which can only be used for training. In peacetime, the PLA can use unmanned surface boats and unmanned underwater vehicles to conduct reconnaissance of Taiwan's military port wharves; in wartime, it can destroy Taiwan's submarines and blockade its military port with the shortest reaction time.
In addition, Taiwan has a small territory and a large population density, and it will be difficult for any military action to land on the island to liberate Taiwan from the huge casualties of the PLA and the Taiwan people. Unmanned systems can play a role in "injury isolation", for example, in urban street battles, using drones to shout to persuade people to surrender, or to deliver food and water.
Some of the content in the article is from:
Guangming.com: The Eastern Theater responded to the US military plane's passage through the Taiwan Strait and publicly hyped it