The current NATO summit is being held in Madrid, Spain. The United States and NATO allies are conducting various verbal and verbal attacks on China, Russia and other countries; and on the other side of the earth, the "Rim of the Pacific 2022" large-scale joint exercise led by the United States has also been officially launched recently. Kicked off.
A total of 26 countries participated in the exercise, with as many as 38 surface ships and more than 170 military aircraft participating. The lineup can be said to be very luxurious. The exercise will last until August 4. The Rim of the Pacific military exercise was first held in 1971 and has been held 27 times so far. It is the world's largest joint maritime military exercise.
It is worth mentioning that in the development history of more than 40 years, the main content and purpose of the Pacific Rim exercise have changed many times. The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet first facilitated this exercise in 1971, nominally to enhance mutual cooperation between countries, but the actual purpose was to target the then Soviet Pacific Fleet.
The Rim of the Pacific exercises during this period had relatively strong confrontational intentions, and the vast majority of participants in the exercises were allies of the United States. In the period after the end of the Cold War , because the Soviet Union, the biggest imaginary enemy, no longer existed, the confrontational tone of the Rim of the Pacific exercises became much weaker, and gradually turned into a joint maritime military exercise that did not target third parties.
The exercise subjects also focus on responding to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, humanitarian relief, etc. Against this background, China, Russia and other countries have observed the Rim of the Pacific military exercise many times. Russia participated in the exercise for the first time in 2012, and China participated in it for the first time in 2014. During the exercise, the Chinese Navy destroyer "Xi'an" also served as the flagship for the exercises between the Chinese and American militaries. This period was also a period of relatively weak military confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region.
But starting in 2018, the nature of the Rim of the Pacific military exercises began to change again. At this time, the United States has launched a trade war against China. Relations between the two countries have continued to decline. Relations between the United States and Russia have also deteriorated due to the Crimea issue. Therefore, the Rim of the Pacific military exercise has returned to the setting of the Cold War. China and Russia Russia is also regarded as an imaginary enemy by the United States.
In the United States’ vision, the Rim of the Pacific military exercise will be an excellent platform to integrate the power of allies in the Asia-Pacific region to confront China and Russia. Therefore, the Rim of the Pacific military exercise is clearly aimed at China and Russia. The US media has previously stated that "responding to China's challenges" is the theme of this year's Rim-Pacific military exercise.
This can be understood from the scale and level of the participating ships this year. According to reports on the U.S. Naval Institute website, the participating ships include the USS "Lincoln" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, "Essek" There are many aircraft carriers or quasi-aircraft carriers such as the USS Sri Lanka amphibious assault ship , the South Korean amphibious assault ship "Marado", the Australian "Canberra" class amphibious assault ship, the Japanese "Izumo" light aircraft carrier, etc., which can be said to be elite. Get out.
These countries are the ones that the United States is currently trying to win over. Now the United States hopes to draw these countries into its own small anti-China circle through military exercises. It is worth noting that although there are many subjects in this Rim of the Pacific military exercise, the subjects are also hierarchical. Ordinary participating countries' ships can only participate in subjects such as joint patrols, maritime search and rescue, boarding inspections and other non-traditional security fields. .
The core allies of the United States will practice joint operations, live-fire shooting and other subjects with the U.S. Navy. At the end of the exercise, a "live-fire sinking training" subject is even designed. The ambition of the United States can be said to be obvious. It is not surprising at all that such changes have occurred in the Rim of the Pacific military exercise.
The United States is currently recruiting friends and allies around the world, concentrating its efforts to contain China, and will not miss any opportunity to create pressure on China. As the most powerful country in the world, the United States has always believed that only by interrupting China's rise can it maintain its hegemony.
However, China is no longer what it used to be. With the launch of the Fujian ship, the Chinese navy will enter the era of three aircraft carriers in the future. Its strength has been upgraded to another level and it is capable of dealing with external challenges. The United States cannot stop China's strong rise. When the United States also needs to gather so many allies to fight against China, it means that it has neither the strength nor the confidence of the past. The dispute with China is likely to be the real starting point for the decline of US hegemony.
