The commander of the US Army in the Pacific, Charles Flynn, announced that the United States will deploy new medium-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region, aimed at preventing China from "invading" Taiwan. However, this reason is simply ridiculous. Taiwan has always been a part of China, and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Therefore, the so-called "invasion" simply does not exist. Tomahawk missiles and SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles will be deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, but the exact time and location have not been disclosed, raising more uncertainties. The United States withdrew from the INF Treaty back in 2019 and can now openly deploy intermediate-range missiles. If this plan is implemented, it will undoubtedly bring more tensions to the Indo-Pacific region.
In fact, the U.S. provocations against China don't stop there. Recently, the US ship "Hopper" illegally intruded into China's Xisha territorial waters, and this is not the first time that the ship has trespassed into China's territorial waters. In 2018, the ship intruded into the waters of Scarborough Shoal, but was resolutely driven away by the Chinese side. The USS Hopper has been operating in the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea, but its sudden pivot to the Paracel territorial waters was clearly intended to provoke China. The United States hopes to get deeply involved in the Indo-Pacific region through this "cat-and-mouse game", but it is unwilling to go to war with China. However, they underestimated China's determination to defend its territory and sovereignty.
In addition, the United States has on more than one occasion joined countries such as the Philippines and Australia in carrying out provocative actions. Recently, the United States and the Philippines announced a high-profile joint cruise, which will be carried out on China's doorstep, starting at Yami Island in the Bass Strait. The purpose of this joint patrol is obviously to show off force against China as a provocation against China. China has sent frigates and reconnaissance planes to conduct surveillance, and has attached great importance to this and strongly condemned this act that violates the South China Sea Declaration and undermines regional stability.
China has shown calm and restraint in these provocations, standing firm and responding in a timely manner. China has maintained a high degree of vigilance in both military defense and diplomatic representations, and has made its position clear to relevant countries.
The United States believes that there is a strategic competition between China and the United States, and that China's rise is a threat to American hegemony, so the United States has taken various measures to contain China. However, the United States should realize that it is not in its own interests to make a bad deal with China, and a series of small actions will only harm its own interests. It is precisely because of this realization that the United States took the initiative to seek reconciliation with China and sent high-level leaders to visit China to facilitate a meeting between Chinese and US leaders, thus easing Sino-US relations.
However, there are structural contradictions between China and the United States that cannot be resolved in a moment. Therefore, although the United States does not dare to engage in "decoupling" between China and the United States in the general direction, it may continue to provoke in "subtleties". This state of affairs is likely to persist for some time, bringing more uncertainty to the U.S.-China relationship.
The key to the direction of Sino-US relations lies with the United States. If the United States can clearly recognize the reality and stop its senseless provocative acts, Sino-US relations may be able to develop in a better direction. If the U.S. provocations continue to escalate, China will also respond unceremoniously, and Sino-US relations are likely to fall into a trough again.
In short, the future of China-US relations is uncertain, and all parties need to be calm and rational to deal with the challenges. China will firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and is willing to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, so as to promote the stable and peaceful development of China-US relations.