Watch for a happy home, watch for peace in China, and watch for world peace. Welcome to follow Daily Watch. Today is December 24th, Saturday, and Christmas Eve again. However, according to the situation in the Overwatch Observation Room, some countries are busy building armaments at the end of the year. Some countries are even impatient. Four of them are countries close to me. Let’s take a look and see what they are busy with?
To know yourself and the enemy, you need to keep your head up while working hard. Therefore, it is necessary for us to understand the surrounding situation, especially the military trends related to national security and development, which each of us should understand and master.
First, be alert! Japan's draft defense budget for fiscal year 2023 has increased significantly! has increased by more than 26%!
Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-35 stealth fighter Source: Foreign media
Japan’s Cabinet approved the draft defense budget for fiscal year 2023, reaching a record-breaking US$51 billion, an increase of 26%. According to reports from Global Network quoted by Bloomberg, Japan Kyodo News and Reuters , on the 23rd, the Japanese Cabinet approved a 26% increase in defense spending in 2023. This includes spending related to U.S. military bases, which increased 26.3% from 5.4 trillion yen in fiscal year 20224, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth.
data shows that this is part of Japan's largest military construction since World War II . The sudden increase of more than a quarter of the defense budget in just one year has to make people worry. This includes spending $1.6 billion to purchase U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Previously, Japan announced that it would join forces with the United Kingdom, Italy and other countries to build a new generation of stealth fighter aircraft . It will not only bypass the United States and join forces with other countries, but also set the goal of surpassing the current level of U.S. fighter aircraft. To this end, 102 billion yen will be allocated for the development of this project next year alone, mainly to allow this advanced fighter to be put into use in 2035. It can be seen that Japan is not very peaceful.
In response to Japan's frequent exaggeration of the issue of increasing its defense budget, China has previously stated that Japan should seriously reflect on its history of aggression, respect the security concerns of its Asian neighbors, be cautious in its words and deeds in the field of military security, and do more things that are conducive to maintaining regional peace and stability.
The direction of the defense budget can reveal the focus of Japan's armaments. Analysis by the Overwatch Observation Room found that Japan’s defense budget, which suddenly increased by more than 26%, mainly includes the following key contents.
is No. 1, used in weapons research and development, more than in the past four years combined. Approximately 897 billion yen has been allocated for weapons research and development. In addition to the above-mentioned new generation fighter aircraft, nearly half of the funds will be used to develop new long-range missiles.
Second, according to Kyodo News , before the new missile is deployed, Japan will spend 211.3 billion yen to purchase the "Tomahawk" cruise missile from the American Raytheon Technologies Company, with a strike range of approximately 1,600 kilometers.
Third, Japan plans to spend 250 billion yen to purchase 16 American F-35 stealth fighter jets to strengthen its air combat capabilities. It should be pointed out that according to the relevant treaties between the United States and Japan, Japan is only a self-defense force and cannot carry out attacks on foreign countries.
It is reported that Japan plans to double its defense spending within five years to 2% of its GDP. If by then, Japan's military spending will have grown for more than 10 consecutive years and reached the level of the world's third largest military spender, far surpassing Russia.
One of the reasons why Japan continues to increase its military spending is that it exaggerates the so-called "China threat theory" like the United States. In its new national security strategy, Japan positioned China as an "unprecedented strategic challenge." China firmly opposes this and has lodged stern representations with Japan through diplomatic channels. At a press conference on the 16th of this month, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the defense policy document issued by Japan ignores the facts, deviates from Japan’s commitment to bilateral relations and the consensus between China and Japan, and unreasonably smeares China’s national defense construction and normal military activities.
Secondly, the South Korean military is considering holding a large-scale joint firepower exercise with the US military.
Global Network quoted the latest report from South Korea's "MBC News" that 2023 is the 70th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the United States. South Korean Ministry of National Defense spokesman Jeon Ha-gyu said that the South Korean military is considering holding a large-scale joint firepower exercise with the US military.
To this end, the South Korean military is studying various options that can demonstrate South Korea's military power and the overwhelming deterrent power of the South Korea-US alliance against North Korea. According to reports, the South Korea-US joint firepower exercise began in June 1977 and has been held nine times under names such as "Comprehensive Firepower Suppression Exercise". The most recent exercise was in April 2017.
At present, the situation on the peninsula is quite tense. Previously, the United States and South Korea successively carried out large-scale military exercises, which were very targeted, resulting in the continuous escalation of various weapon tests in the region. North Korea has repeatedly publicly accused the United States and South Korea of conducting military exercises "on its doorstep" as serious provocations. From December 5th to 6th, South Korea and the United States conducted artillery exercises in Samil-ri, Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. On the 5th, the General Staff Headquarters of the Korean People's Army issued emergency instructions to the frontline troops to implement live ammunition firing at sea to counter the South Korean and American military exercises.
If the United States and South Korea ignore North Korea's security concerns and continue to conduct large-scale joint fire drills, it will inevitably further aggravate tensions on the peninsula.
Third, India and Japan will hold a joint combat exercise near Tokyo for the first time
Japan has always been a little restless recently. It has just been reported that Japan will significantly increase its defense budget in 2023. According to reference news, citing the latest news from Japan's Kyodo News Agency, it was also reported that Japan will launch a joint fighter exercise with India in Tokyo.
This exercise is planned to last for 11 days, starting in mid-January next year and ending on the 26th. At present, relevant media have announced some details. For example, the Indian army will send different numbers of Su-30MKI fighter jets and C-17 transport aircraft to participate in the exercise, and they are expected to arrive at Hyakuri Air Force Base in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on January 10 to participate in the exercise.
At the same time, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will send different numbers of F-15 and other fighter jets to participate in this joint military exercise. Completely different from the past joint exercises between the United States, Japan, India and Australia, this time Japan and India completely ignored the United States and were jointly organized by India and Japan. This has a similar meaning to Japan's joint development of new generation fighter jets with the United Kingdom and Italy.
At this point, India will become the fifth country to hold such bilateral exercises with Japan, following the United States, Britain, Australia, and Germany. A small number of Japanese government officials have made inappropriate remarks on the Taiwan issue many times, and even claimed that if something goes wrong in Taiwan, something will happen to Japan. Nowadays, Japan and India are engaging in joint exercises. The reasons and the impact on the surrounding situation have to make people worry.
Fourth, US President Biden has officially signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, with defense funding reaching US$857.9 billion.
On December 23, local time, the White House issued a statement saying that US President Biden has officially signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023. According to the latest news from the Global Times 24, the bill signed by Biden authorizes defense funding of up to 857.9 billion U.S. dollars, which is a full 45 billion U.S. dollars higher than Biden's defense budget request.
The U.S. defense budget has ranked first in the world for many years. This is not news. What is important is that the national defense authorization bill signed by Biden contains a large number of negative provisions related to China.
The bill contains a large number of negative provisions related to Taiwan, seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués , sends a serious wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and causes serious damage to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
On December 24, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the United States’ insistence on passing and signing the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023” that contains negative content related to China, and has made solemn representations to the United States.
For a period of time, the United States has been hollowing out and distorting the one-China principle, frequently selling arms to Taiwan, strengthening military ties between the United States and Taiwan, and concocting Taiwan-related bills and documents that undermine China's sovereignty. Facts have repeatedly proven that the United States is the direct threat to the international order and the driving force behind regional turmoil.
html On the 24th, Tan Kefei, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense of China, stated that resolving the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people and is China’s internal affairs that does not tolerate any external interference. The United States has no right to make irresponsible remarks. The Chinese People's Liberation Army will, as always, stand ready to resolutely defend the unity and territorial integrity of the motherland.[Voiceover] Among the four countries above , India, Japan, and South Korea are our neighbors. Although the United States is not a neighbor, it targets us everywhere, overtly and covertly pointing fingers at the Taiwan issue. Even the newly signed 2023 National Defense Authorization Act contains a large number of negative provisions related to China. It can be seen that the United States is getting more and more crazy. While it continues to fuel the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it is free to undermine and suppress China's peaceful development.
Today's world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. We are committed to peaceful rise, but there are always people who repeat the same old tune and hype the so-called "China threat theory" to accelerate armament. Here, the Shouwang Observation Room feels more and more deeply that it is really not easy for the motherland to develop to this day. We must have sufficient capabilities and complete preparations to deal with various complex situations. If we are not careful, we will fall into passivity. Therefore, each of us Chinese must fight firmly with the motherland. As a saying goes, as we are, so will our motherland! If young people are strong, China will be strong, and if we are strong, China will be strong!
On Christmas Eve, we should be prepared for danger in times of peace!
