21/03/2020
- Two aircraft worked together to identify ‘suspicious objects’ in disputed waters, PLA Navy captain says
- With military tensions rising in region, China is keen to put its anti-submarine capabilities to the test, observer says
The PLA Navy said the anti-submarine drill over the South China Sea took place earlier this month. Photo: Handout
Chinese military aircraft recently conducted an anti-submarine drill over the
, the People’s Liberation Army said on Friday, amid a growing number of patrols and exercises by US warships in the region.
The drill, which involved two aircraft, was conducted earlier this month, not long before the US naval and marine units took part in expeditionary strike force training in the disputed waters, the PLA Navy said in a report.
While acknowledging the difficulties involved in such an operation, the report said the aircraft successfully identified several suspicious objects.
“Anti-submarine exercises are like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It’s difficult, the underwater hydrological conditions are complex,” Yu Yang, the captain of one of the aircraft, was quoted as saying.
But by having two planes working together, it “increase[d] the probability of finding a submarine”, he said.
The anti-submarine exercise involved two aircraft from the PLA Navy. Photo: Handout
Wang Shelin, one of the commanders of the exercise, said that anti-submarine operations were not only dangerous but a real test of the pilots’ skills.
Successfully completing the mission demanded precise “control of the speed and altitude of the aircraft”, he said.
The publication of the PLA report came after the United States staged a four-day exercise in the South China Sea last week involving the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, the America Expeditionary Strike Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
At the end of last month, the
US Navy accused the PLA of “unsafe and unprofessional” behaviour after a Chinese destroyer pointed a laser at an American maritime patrol aircraft flying over international waters west of Guam.
Collin Koh, a research fellow with the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the Chinese military was keen to promote its anti-submarine capabilities.
“This means we can expect to see more such exercises in the future, with no let up because of the
coronavirus,” he said.
“You can also see this as a response not only to the [recent] carrier strike group operations, but the intensified US military presence in the South China Sea.
“And it would not be surprising if a nuclear attack submarine was in the vicinity of the carrier strike group,” he said.
Chinese and US defence chiefs discuss coronavirus crisis in phone call
Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based commentator on military affairs, said that with the possibility of a military conflict growing in the South China Sea, it was important for the PLA Navy to increase its anti-submarine training.
“The rivalry between the great powers is getting more and more intense, and the PLA must strengthen its preparations,” he said.
Echoing commander Wang’s comments, Song said that the high volume of maritime traffic and sheer size and depth of the South China Sea made searching for submarines difficult.
“So the PLA is trying to enhance its capabilities by constantly installing and testing new anti-submarine equipment,” he said.
Source: SCMP
Posted in America Expeditionary Strike Group, American, anti-submarine, ‘unsafe and unprofessional’, Chinese, conduct, coronavirus, destroyer, drills, Guam, laser, maritime patrol aircraft, Nanyang Technological University, naval planes, People’s Liberation Army, pla navy, Singapore, South China Sea, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, Two aircraft, Uncategorized, US Navy |
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28/08/2019
- It follows Beijing’s decision earlier this month to turn down an application for two US Navy ships to visit Hong Kong
- The countries have traded barbs about the handling of anti-government protests in the city
The US has had port visits denied by Chinese authorities twice this month. Photo: Alamy
A US Navy warship was denied a port visit to the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on Sunday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said on Wednesday.
The request denial comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the United States, with the countries engaged in a prolonged trade dispute and a war of words over anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] denied the US Navy’s request to visit the Qingdao Port,” Commander Reann Mommsen, public affairs officer for the US Seventh Fleet, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mommsen declined to name the warship denied entry or when the request was refused, referring questions about the reasons to Beijing.
The blocked visit was first reported by Reuters, which cited an anonymous US defence official as saying that China had denied the request for the destroyer before the intended visit on Sunday.
It is the second time in a month that China has prevented US Navy vessels making a port call.
On August 13, the United States Pacific Fleet said China had denied requests for two US Navy ships to
visit Hong Kong.
The USS Green Bay, an amphibious dock landing ship, had been due to make a port call in Hong Kong on August 17, and the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie was scheduled to visit next month, according to Nate Christensen, deputy spokesman for the Pacific Fleet.
A source close to the Chinese navy confirmed the Qingdao rejection, saying it was “normal practice” based on the current China-US relationship.
“Hasn’t the [US’] application to visit Hong Kong just been rejected?” the source asked.
Hong Kong has seen 12 weeks of anti-government protests, triggered by a now-shelved
that would have allowed criminal suspects to be transferred to mainland China.
Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based military expert, said the refusal was a natural result of the worsening bilateral ties between China and the US.
“Many bilateral exchanges are bound to deteriorate when countries’ ties worsen, such as during the China-US trade war. And now coupled with the Hong Kong unrest, many exchanges [between China and the US] have been downgraded,” Zhou said.
Liu Weidong, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, echoed Zhou’s view and said a visit from the US warship would be meaningless at present.
“Now the US is very provocative … so China doesn’t want to welcome its warship,” Liu said.
Doubt has been cast on whether trade talks between the two countries are set to resume, with Beijing’s foreign ministry contradicting US President Donald Trump’s claim that China had sought a return to the negotiating table.
The countries had been due to speak on Tuesday, according to a previous statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce after their last telephone call on August 13. But there has been no announcement so far from either side on whether such a conversation took place.
Last week, China said it would levy retaliatory tariffs of 5 to 10 per cent on US$75 billion worth of US goods. The Trump administration responded by announcing a tariff increase from 25 to 30 per cent on US$250 billion of Chinese goods, and from 10 to 15 per cent on US$300 billion worth of Chinese products.
The US also designated Beijing as a currency manipulator, raising fears of an economic cold war between the two countries.
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