In January 2024, tensions in the South China Sea reappeared. The Philippines reported that the Philippine and U.S. teams launched a two-day joint patrol in the South China Sea, during which joint patrols and maneuver drills were conducted. The Philippines sent four aircraft carriers and two aircraft, while the United States sent one aircraft carrier, three aircraft and several aircraft. According to the Philippine military, this is the second joint patrol between the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea, which will help improve the coordination and alliance between the two sides. The first joint cruise between the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea was in late November.
As a non-regional country, the United States has used the Philippines as a breakthrough to carry out military activities in the South China Sea at the beginning of the new year, showing that 2024 will not be peaceful. In response to the provocative actions of the United States and the Philippines, the Southern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on January 3 and 4. The Southern Theater said that the theater has always been on high alert and resolutely safeguarded national sovereignty and interests. Any military action that attempts to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea and create incidents in the region is under the control of the Southern Theater.
The US military sent an aircraft carrier group to use the Philippines as a breakthrough point to carry out military activities in the South China Sea, and the Southern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army simultaneously dispatched naval and air forces to patrol the South China Sea. This is a military standoff between China and the United States in the South China Sea. In 2016, there was a fierce confrontation between the Chinese and American fleets in the South China Sea, when the U.S. military sent two aircraft carrier formations and the Chinese navy assembled its capital ships. During the confrontation, the position of the US aircraft carrier was locked by strategic bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the Chinese side revealed this situation to the outside world through open channels. The two US aircraft carrier groups were eventually withdrawn, and the Japanese-American generals who advocated being tough on China at that time were also transferred from their original posts. The 2016 confrontation between China and the United States in the South China Sea was a contest of will and strength between the two countries, and the US military's retreat in the confrontation was a sign of a change in the situation in the South China Sea. Since then, China's claims in the South China Sea have been further advanced, represented by improved relations between China and the Philippines.
China has safeguarded its rights and interests in the maritime military confrontation between China and the United States, and has also laid the foundation for a series of developments such as the formulation of a code of conduct and the signing of the RCEP agreement by all parties in the South China Sea. Now, the Philippine position has significantly regressed from the Duterte era, and the US military has once again used it to create tensions in the South China Sea.
However, the current situation in the South China Sea is different from the period when Obama implemented the "pivot to the Asia-Pacific" strategy. China's maritime military strength has been continuously strengthened, and the two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, have formed combat effectiveness, and the Fujian has also been conducting test voyages in an orderly manner. 10,000-ton destroyers and amphibious assault ships have also been put into service, providing the Chinese People's Liberation Army with multi-point fire strike platforms. The essence of the South China Sea issue is a regional issue, and it is a neighborhood dispute between countries in the South China Sea, which should and can be properly handled through consultation.
An important reason for the escalation of the situation in the South China Sea is that the military intervention of the United States as an external force has contributed to the destructive factors. The outcome of the military confrontation between China and the United States is also a direct reflection of the evolving trend of the situation in the South China Sea and a catalyst for the evolution of the situation. In October 2021, a U.S. nuclear submarine collided with a mountain in the South China Sea during a U.S.-U.S.-Japan-U.S. multi-aircraft carrier exercise, which greatly affected the U.S. military's desire to display military power.
At the beginning of 2022, the U.S. military organized a multi-aircraft carrier military exercise in the South China Sea, during which an F-35 crashed into the sea, and the accident involved the U.S. military Karl. The USS Vincennes made an emergency return to its home port on the continental United States. The effect that the United States wanted to achieve was not achieved, and within a few months, the countries of the South China Sea saw the problems of the US military again.
In February 2023, the U.S. military created a balloon incident, and the Chinese side conducted a military operation in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in response to it. At that time, there was speculation that the Chinese side had closed the net on the relevant US spy equipment. The channel of military contact between China and the United States has been further interrupted, and the US side has sought to restore the communication channel between the two militaries through a series of diplomacy with China, such as Blinken's visit to China. In January 2024, the U.S. military sent an aircraft carrier group to conduct patrols in the South China Sea, and the squadron organized routine patrols by naval and air forces. This is the prelude to the military game between China and the United States in 2024. From Northeast Asia to Eastern Europe to the Middle East, from the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea. The beginning of 2024 kicked off with a series of events, and for this year destined to face ups and downs, the squadron is advancing military construction with continuous training and preparation, injecting certainty into China's security.