MILITARY POSTURE
2021-04-06 | BY Chen Qi
In 1975, Vietnam went back on its long-standing position over Spratly islands in the South China Sea – these islands are part of China’s territory – and occupied five ‘features seized by the Republic of Vietnam, or South Vietnam with its capital in Saigon, in the name of “emancipating Quan Dao Truong Sa” (an illegal name of the main islands and reefs of Spratly Islands coined by Vietnam). As of 1998, the country invaded the other 24 islands and reefs of Spratly Islands in succession, bringing the total number of Vietnamese-occupied islands and reefs in the region to 29. Over the past 46 years, in order to reinforce its claimed “sovereignty” and develop marine resources, Vietnam has painstakingly developed those occupied islands and reefs of the Spratly Islands, irrespective of its weak national strength and teetering economic conditions. Among all the Spratly Islands claimants, Vietnam has occupied most of islands and reefs and was the first to deploy heavy weapons to these features unceasingly for a long time.
2021-03-12 | BY SCSPI
Even though COVID-19 wreaked havoc worldwide in 2020, the US military continued to carry out intensive military activities in the South China Sea, with their strategic weapon platforms, typically carrier strike groups, strategic bombers and nuclear attack submarines, operating in the region frequently, posing unprecedented deterrence against China. In the meantime, the US Navy and Air Force continued to conduct frequent reconnaissance operations in the region, deploying a mix of reconnaissance aircraft, including those of civilian contractors, to the South China Sea, all of which built up strong momentum for battlefield construction and warfighting readiness across the US military.
2020-11-18 | BY SCSPI
Since March of 2020, the U.S. has been sending several civilian contractor surveillance aircraft to monitor China’s near seas.
2020-10-12 | BY SCSPI
Despite frequent typhoons in China’s near seas in September, the US sent 60 sorties of spy planes to conduct close-in reconnaissance of China.
2020-09-18 | BY SCSPI
This behavior undoubtedly adds significant risks and unstable factors to global aviation safety, which will cause misjudgments, and be likely to bring danger to real civilian passenger aircraft, especially to those from the countries that are impersonated.
2020-08-04 | BY SCSPI
It is worth noting that the close-in reconnaissance of the US military has gradually revealed its intention to increase political and military pressure.
2020-06-30 | BY Hu Bo
It is common knowledge that the army is, of course, prepared for war and other worst-case scenario. However, the regional situation will only be backed into a corner if the U.S. military keeps giving undue prominence to great power competition in the South China Sea.
2020-03-28 | BY SCSPI
In 2019, the US armed forces continued to carry out intensive military activities in the South China Sea, with their strategic platforms coming in and out of the region frequently, sea and air reconnaissance forces conducting various operations vigorously, the freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) near China’s stationed islands and reefs in the South China Sea increasing rapidly, and military diplomacy intensifying unprecedentedly. Though the US has become slightly more prudent in its words and deeds with regard to the military conflicts with China in the South China Sea, its operations in this region, in terms of both scale and intensity, have been significantly reinforced, compared to those in 2018. With the continual military exercises and various drills of the US armed forces and the rushing deployment of forces and platforms in the South China Sea, the region has become a front line of the maritime strategic competition between China and the US.
2020-01-30 | BY SCSPI
On January 25, Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8) conducted the first FONOP in the South China Sea in 2020. The closest it approached Fiery Cross Reef was reckoned at 8.5 nautical miles.
2019-12-27 | BY SCSPI
In 2019, the US military substantially strengthened the contents and intensity of military exercises in the South China Sea and its neighboring areas, and pressed ahead with over 100 reinforced joint military exercises and drills with countries surrounding the South China Sea and extra-regional powers.