|
Chinese navy can respond in kind to US provocation
|
|
7/28/2017
The Pentagon claimed on Monday that two Chinese fighter jets performed
an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a US EP-3 reconnaissance
plane while it was flying over the East China Sea the previous day.
The
"righteousness" of the Pentagon is ridiculous. The intercept occurred
80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) south of Qingdao, which is a major
Chinese naval base. US military reconnaissance threatens China's
national security and an intercept by the Chinese navy is justified.
The
close-in surveillance of the US military around China's coastal
strategic areas has been a major problem between China and the US. The
US defends such robber acts under the guise of "freedom of navigation
and overflight." The Chinese military has exercised restraint when
undertaking intercepts. The public actually wanted the US reconnaissance
plane to be shot down directly. Of course the PLA would not do it, but
the Chinese people really detest US reconnaissance, which is bound to
have an impact on the response of the Chinese military. US military
planes had better stay away from China's coastal areas.
In 2001,
a mid-air collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a US
reconnaissance aircraft occurred, causing the death of a Chinese pilot.
The US plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Hainan Province
and the disassembled aircraft was returned to the US later. If such a
collision happens again, the ending will be different.
Simply
educating the Americans is unlikely to work. The Chinese navy must carry
out operations close to the US and its allies, which can become a
bargaining chip to urge the US to stop its activities in China's coastal
areas.
It may be difficult for the Chinese navy to practice
reconnaissance around Naval Base San Diego on the US west coast. But it
can go to Okinawa, Yokosuka, and the coastal areas of Australia. A few
days ago, a Chinese survey ship was spotted off the Queensland coast
near where Australia and the US were holding joint military exercises.
It has disturbed the Australian opinion sphere. US allies should be made
to have such a bitter feeling.
China's blue-water navy is in
the development stage. There are more and more occasions when the naval
fleet patrols in the Gulf of Aden and visits other countries. The Liaoning
aircraft carrier can act more proactively by training close to the
waters of US naval bases where it can have a firsthand experience of the
ever-changing geopolitics there.
China has yet to learn how to
provoke the US and its allies. But we cannot sit still and allow others
to provoke us. Otherwise, China's military will be propelled into a
passive position and the Chinese public will feel upset.
If
Chinese warships can always catch attention from US allies, when US
naval vessels stir up troubles in the South China Sea again, Chinese
society can react more confidently. The US doesn't respect restraints
and rationality, but strength and strong will. Therefore, perhaps it is
time for China to change the way it responds, and starts making some
troubles for the US.
|
|
|
|
|