Just a few hours after the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers, a P-8A antisubmarine patrol plane belonging to the US Navy flew over the Taiwan Strait. On 20 April, a US Navy MH-60 anti-submarine helicopter appeared in the airspace southwest of Taiwan Island. In response to the appearance of US Navy military aircraft in the waters around the Taiwan Strait, the PLA also responded accordingly.
According to the news released by Taiwan's defense department, since 8:15 a.m., 21 Continental Army aircraft have been detected, including J-16, Y-8, unmanned aerial vehicles and other main and auxiliary fighters. Seventeen military planes crossed the "center line of the strait" and its extension line and entered the airspace of the northern, central, and southwestern parts of Taiwan Island to carry out joint combat readiness patrols in cooperation with the ships of the Continental Army. Obviously, the appearance of 21 mainland military planes in the airspace over the Taiwan Strait was aimed at the MH-60 antisubmarine helicopter of the US military, and the demonstration was of great significance.
On April 15, the U.S. military deployed a land-based medium-range missile system to northern Luzon, which can launch a variety of missiles, including the Standard 6 missile with a range of 450 kilometers and the Tomahawk cruise missile with a maximum range of 2,500 kilometers. Domestic military experts attending the Western Pacific Naval Forum bitterly criticized the US approach, bluntly saying that the US military has deployed military bases in the Philippines and is aimed at a third party, whether it is the Taiwan Strait or Chinese mainland.
If the United States and the Philippines hold military exercises, there is no problem if they are not aimed at a third party, but the United States and the Philippines military exercises are aimed at a third party in an attempt to sow discord between China and the Philippines. At the same time, the US military has deployed the "Typhon" system, which has a range of 2,500 km, and not only is the entire island of Taiwan covered by Tomahawk cruise missiles, but also 660 kilometers away from Guangdong, posing a threat to the mainland's southeastern coastal cities.
In response, China has made a series of countermeasures. First, the US military's intention to deploy medium-range missile systems at China's doorstep is very obvious. We have clearly told the United States that even in the face of Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Chinese side has the corresponding weapons and equipment and warning equipment, which can not only give early warning, but also return fire.
Second, the PLA dispatched the Wuzhen-7 long-range unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to the western airspace of the Philippines, about 55 kilometers away from the Philippine mainland, and can directly conduct aerial reconnaissance in the South China Sea. Once our military concentrates on the deployment of the Wuzhen-7 to keep an eye on the United States and the Philippines, it will be difficult for the United States and the Philippines to provoke in the South China Sea, and it can monitor the US military bases in the Philippines at any time.
Third, China once again sold $22.7 billion in U.S. bonds, directly hitting the financial lifeline of the U.S. military. Although the mainland still holds $775 billion, it has sold $300 billion compared to three years ago, which makes the US military no longer laugh. Severe inflation in the United States, coupled with the increase in interest rates in the United States, has made it more and more difficult for the United States to bear, and the total amount of U.S. Treasury bonds has already exceeded $30 trillion.
The appearance of US anti-submarine helicopters in the Taiwan Strait is to show their existence, and the sudden increase in mainland warships and planes exists in two possibilities, the first is that this is before Lai Qingde took office in the 520, which is also a "appetizer" and a "side dish." The mainland has twice critted, enabling the M503 route connection between W122 and W123 and imposing anti-dumping duties, this set of combination punches down. Presumably, the DPP authorities have no choice but to call the United States for help, and the United States does not dare to provoke easily, but it cannot but send MH-60 anti-submarine helicopters into the airspace over the Taiwan Strait without expressing its stance.
The second point of view is that the PLA's big move is to counter the continuous appearance of the US MH-60 anti-submarine helicopter and the P-8A "Poseidon" reconnaissance plane in the Taiwan Strait to warn "Taiwan independence" and deter the US military. The United States is now at the end of its powerful crossbow, and it wants to seek dialogue and contain the mainland's development, but it can only be a dream, and the United States will not dare to really break out into a full-scale military conflict with the mainland.