According to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Awareness Platform, satellite images show that the Taiwan authorities are reclaiming land on the west side of Taiping Island to expand the island’s airport. What is currently known is that the runway length on the island has been extended to 1,500 meters, which can take off and land fighter jets including F16 fighter .
According to Taiwanese media reports, this plan was "agreed by the United States and decided by Taiwan's security department." Therefore, there is speculation that the airport will be used as a base for the US military. After the runway is extended, US military aircraft can also take off and land on the island in the future. Although the airport can no longer hide it, the Taiwan authorities still refuse to admit it, saying that "the relevant statements are purely conjecture."
In fact, in recent years, the mainland has also accelerated land reclamation in the South China Sea and built a large number of military and civilian facilities. The islands and reefs in the South China Sea are China's inherent territory, and we have the final say on how to build them. Moreover, the United States has been disrupting the situation in the South China Sea. The U.S. warships have repeatedly intruded into the territorial waters of China's islands and reefs, so we must be prepared for a rainy day.
Before the mainland's large-scale land reclamation in the South China Sea, Taiping Island, which was actually controlled by the Taiwan authorities, was the largest island in the entire Nansha Islands . The total area of the entire island was 0.51 square kilometers. There were fresh water and various mineral resources on the island, so The natural conditions are quite rare in the Nansha Islands, and it is also suitable for building a sea and air base.
But it should be noted that this possibility may be difficult to become a reality. Taiping Island is a typical place that is easy to attack and difficult to defend militarily. No matter how it is expanded, it is impossible to change its natural disadvantages. At present, there is a 2,700-meter airstrip on Mischief Reef actually controlled by mainland China. There are more than 3,000-meter airstrips on Subi Reef and Fiery Cross Reef. The three major islands have a triangular layout, echoing each other. .
Taiping Island, controlled by the Taiwan authorities, is located in the center of this triangle. If the United States and Taiwan authorities dare to act rashly in the future, PLA military aircraft taking off from the three major islands can destroy the island's defense forces in an instant. Of course, the Taiwan authorities are also aware of this reality.
The reason why they insist on expanding the runway and other facilities on the island is not only to embolden themselves, but also to bind themselves to the United States. One of the most important reasons why "Taiwan independence" elements dare to run up and down the island without any scruples is that they believe they have the protection of the United States.
continues to provoke the mainland, continues to develop more advanced missiles such as Xiongsheng, and continues to expand Taiping Island. They have only one purpose, and that is to create some conditions to drag the United States into the water. In the past few years, the United States has been quite different from before. It has increasingly felt the lack of its own strength and the rapid improvement of mainland China's strength, and has become more and more radical on the Taiwan issue.
Sending congressmen to visit Taiwan and sending military personnel to Taiwan are all external manifestations of this mentality. The United States is increasingly leaning toward military adventures on the Taiwan issue, and the Taiwan authorities have used measures such as the expansion of Taiping Island to attract the U.S. military to station themselves. This is a typical example of relying on foreign countries for self-respect.
From a military perspective, Taiping Island has almost no value. However, once the US military is stationed on Taiping Island, it will be regarded as a serious provocation by mainland China, and the two navies and air forces are bound to have a more intense confrontation in the South China Sea. And this is exactly what the Taiwan authorities want to see, and they will even fan the flames, because if a conflict breaks out between China and the United States, the United States will not be able to escape from the Taiwan Strait and can only protect the Taiwan authorities for a long time.
This abacus played well, but they underestimated the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue. The Taiwan issue is China's core interest, and the United States knows this very well. Sending military personnel into Taiping Island will cause a strong backlash from the People's Liberation Army. The United States will not go into war with the People's Liberation Army just because of a single stationing operation.
In addition, mainland China has always been relatively restrained on the Taiwan issue and has always adhered to the policy of peaceful reunification.However, if the Taiwan authorities continue to rely on foreign countries to challenge the bottom line of the mainland, the mainland will take necessary measures, and the focus of competition between the two sides will not be Taiping Island. Cross-strait reunification is an irreversible trend, and the "Taiwan independence" elements' petty tricks are absolutely impossible to stop this historical trend.
