The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday (July 13) that the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group is performing routine missions in the South China Sea. This is the first time this aircraft carrier group has entered the South China Sea for patrol this year. Earlier, a US missile destroyer entered the waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea and tried to break into China's territorial waters. Apparently, the U.S. Navy has begun a new round of provocative actions against China, and these actions are obviously being closely monitored by the Chinese Navy. Just like a US guided-missile destroyer trying to break into the territorial waters of the Paracel Islands, it was closely monitored and blocked by the Chinese navy.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a press release issued on Wednesday that the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group will conduct maritime security exercises while in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy said the strike group includes the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW 5), the 70th Crews from Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15), as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Antietam and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins.
However, the lineup of the Reagan aircraft carrier battle group seems a bit shaky. There is only one cruiser and one destroyer as escort ships, even with the addition of the USS "Benford" that tried to break into our Xisha waters on Wednesday ( The USS Benfold guided missile destroyer and the escort scale of the US aircraft carrier are indeed too small. Compared with the US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier battle group ratio at its peak, its overall escort combat effectiveness has been reduced by more than half. However, their commander was very bullish. Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, commander of Task Force 70/Carrier Strike Group 5, said in a statement: "Our strike group has always maintained capabilities and combat readiness. We We will continue to focus on this during our activities in the South China Sea to demonstrate our commitment to the region.”
Captain Fred Goldhamer, Captain of the USS Ronald Reagan. Fred Goldhammer said: "Our presence in the South China Sea demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific." A hegemonic country like the United States flaunts its power at China's doorstep, but still advocates freedom of navigation. In fact, it is against China's naked provocation. Internationally, it appears that even China's nationally sovereign waters are free of entry and exit in the eyes of Americans. This is the hegemony of the United States in the world. However, in the face of provocations from the United States, China has never caused trouble, but it is not afraid of trouble, and China has never fought an unprepared war.
As for the US aircraft carrier entering the South China Sea, the People's Liberation Army has already included it within the scope of surveillance. China's South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness said on Wednesday that the agency judged based on the latest flight trajectory of its aircraft carrier-based aircraft, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier battle group "is currently operating in the waters south of the Nansha Islands." Obviously, China's maritime reconnaissance satellites and other reconnaissance methods have already locked onto the US aircraft carrier, but this information will not be released easily. China has already conducted surveillance on the US aircraft carrier formation. After all, they enter the South China Sea with bad intentions. The US guided-missile destroyer USS Benford, which provoked China's 12-nautical-mile sovereignty, has long been monitored by our destroyer and frigates, but there was no intention to attack it.
Early on the 13th, Air Force Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for China’s southern theater, said in a statement that the US ship “illegally intruded into China’s Xisha territorial waters” and “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security.” " The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to track and monitor and warn to drive away." He also said: "The facts once again prove that the United States is an out-and-out 'security risk creator in the South China Sea' and undermines regional peace and stability." "." When the Southern Theater Command issued this statement, it attached a photo of the guided missile destroyer "Benford" taken from the Chinese Navy's HMS Xianning ship.It can be seen that China has closely monitored the behavior of U.S. guided missile destroyers, and will inevitably take decisive measures once they engage in excessive behavior.
In fact, the United States deployed the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier battle group to the South China Sea again and sent destroyers to try to break into China's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters. This was actually in response to the statement issued by US Secretary of State Blinken on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration case, saying, If Philippines’s military forces are attacked in the South China Sea, Washington will defend the Philippines in accordance with the mutual defense treaty between the United States and the Philippines. The U.S. Navy has adopted a tough posture that is not afraid of the Chinese Navy, giving the Philippines the impression that it can firmly uphold its commitments. After all, what the United States wants to see is that countries that have sovereignty disputes with China around the South China Sea can stand up and denounce and accuse China. In this way, the United States can achieve its purpose of disrupting China and leaving China with no more energy to deal with major economic tasks.
(the pictures in this article come from the Internet)
