South China Sea: Military exercises ‘must continue’ says expert
plans to integrate its Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to tackle the growing threat of China in the South China Sea, according to strategy documents. Tensions are at unprecedented levels in the region as China looks to dominate amid growing pressure from the US.
The Trump administration has supplied multi billion arms packages to the island of Taiwan which is developing its own weapons to fight back against Beijing.
The new US strategy, Advantage at Sea, will develop a “modernized, integrated all-domain naval force for the future”, the maritime strategy report said.
“Our actions in this decade will shape the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century,” the document, released last month, added.
“China’s and Russia’s revisionist approaches in the maritime environment threaten US interests, undermine alliances and partnerships, and degrade the free and open international order.
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“Moreover, China’s and Russia’s aggressive naval growth and modernization are eroding U.S. military advantages.”
The situation on the South China Sea has continued to flare into the final days of Donald Trump’s term as president.
Fresh weapon supplies from the US to Taiwan and testing of China’s warships in the region suggested tensions showed little sign of simmering in the near future.
The South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a think tank that focuses on the security issues around the contested region, told Newsweek there were risks of a potential clash.
It highlighted the chances of an “unexpected” clash between the two powerful nations amid heightened tensions.
The organisation said: “We still believe that the risk of conflict is rising.
“Though less mentioned in media reports recently, there have always been several encounters of various kinds from the two sides every single day.”
It added: “If the US and China couldn’t find substantive crisis management measures, the risk of an accident or unexpected conflict would still be high.”
US Secretary of State has also said the Government would be lifting decades-old restrictions limiting the nation’s contact with Taiwan.
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He said in a statement: “The United States Government took these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing.
“No more.”
Last month, Taiwan prepared warships to “stand guard” in response to Beijing’s aircraft carriers travelling close to the island.
The group of aircraft carriers sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Sunday – one day after a US warship passed through the waterway.
Six warships and eight air force aircraft were deployed to monitor the Chinese vessels.
Taiwan said the military had been deployed to “stand guard”, adding “with the support of the people, the national armed forces have the confidence and ability to guard the homeland, and ensure national security and safeguard regional peace and stability.”
The island nation, which China claims sovereignty over, also unveiled a heavily armed combat ship dubbed the “aircraft carrier killer”.
The Ta Chiang warship, which is said to become active in July, is armed with subsonic and supersonic guided missiles making it capable of targeting Chinese vessels.
The Trump administration supplied a total of $5billion dollars in arm packages to Taiwan in 2020.
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