The USS Giffords, the USS GLCS-10, publicly challenged China on December 4, accusing China of violating international law and violating the sovereignty of other countries. The action was seen as a powerful response to the so-called "US-Philippine" South China Sea military exercise Xi held by the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea last month. As a supporter of the Philippines, an ally in the South China Sea, the United States sent a fleet to the region to help the Philippines defend its interests in the South China Sea. The Philippines welcomed the arrival of the US warship, a position expressed by Defense Adviser Arnold during his trip to Thitu Island, which is controlled by the Philippines.
The Philippines** has established a maritime defense base on Thitu Island, equipped with radar and satellite communications facilities, designed to enhance surveillance capabilities for Chinese ships, and plans to be fully operational early next year. Thitu Island has a special geographical location, and many Chinese patrol ships often pass through the island. In addition, Japan and the United States want the Philippines to step up its military presence on Thitu Island in order to monitor China's activities in the South China Sea, especially the air base on Mischief Island. Even if China sends reinforcements, the Philippines will be the first to find out. The root cause of the problem can be traced back to Taiwan**.
Until the 1970s, Thitu Island was controlled by the Taiwanese region**, which once stationed troops on the island. However, in order to escape the typhoon, Taiwan evacuated all its garrisons, leaving the Filipinos with a chance to recapture Thitu Island. At that time, when the Philippines illegally occupied Thitu Island, Taiwan did not take action to recover it, resulting in Thitu Island still being illegally occupied by the Philippines. Thitu Island is a relatively large natural island in the South China Sea, and an improvised airport runway has been built on it.
China responded within 48 hours of announcing that it would establish an observatory on Thitu by sending 135 ships** to the vicinity of Oxbow Reef in the Spratlys. The Philippine Marine Corps said they had sent a distress signal to the ship but had not received a response. Apparently, China has deployed a large number of ** on the island, and the Philippines is preparing for "large-scale military exercises" in the South China Sea. The Philippines is concerned because China is currently conducting an investigation into the "oxbow reef". It is worth remembering that China has previously sent a large number of major military exercises Xi the South China Sea.
China has the ability to use advanced technology to transform the "oxbow island" into an artificial island and deploy military aircraft such as the J-16 and H-6 on it. This move will greatly affect the military power of the Philippines and the United States in the region. In addition, China can integrate a large-scale air defense system, anti-aircraft missiles, and other air surveillance equipment to build a robust air surveillance and defense system to effectively monitor air activity around the Philippines.
In wartime, the long-range missiles of the "Oxbow Island" type can be used to strike US forces in the Philippines, and at the same time conduct aerial reconnaissance of islands and reefs over the South China Sea to obtain enemy movements and early warning information. This will allow Chinese forces to closely monitor the Philippines and U.S. forces stationed in the Philippines and respond quickly if a conflict breaks out in the South China Sea. At the same time, the provocative actions of the Philippines could lead to the transformation of the "oxbow island" into a larger artificial island.