On January 24, 2024, the United States launched two military provocations against China. First, a delegation organized by the US Congress visited China's Taiwan region, which is the second time that the United States has sent a delegation since the elections in the Taiwan region, and it is possible that it will send a third delegation on 20 May. Second, the US missile destroyer USS Finn crossed China's Taiwan Strait without authorization, which is the first time that a US warship has broken into the Taiwan Strait in 2024.
At the same time, U.S. naval and air forces around China are also strengthening. The USS Carl Vinson entered the western Pacific after completing exercises in the East China Sea, the USS Ronald Reagan was anchored in Japan, and the USS Roosevelt was heading towards the western Pacific. All this shows that the United States is in the process of readjusting its strategy in Asia.
Why is the United States doing this? In the author's opinion, the United States may have the following three considerations:
First, the United States wants to stop China's progress on the Taiwan issue. China's naval and air forces have regularly patrolled and reconnoitred the Taiwan Strait and the Taiwan region, and have even directly entered the internal airspace of the Taiwan region. China's de facto control over Taiwan is also growing. The United States, as a superpower, is very wary of this. This is because Taiwan is very important to the U.S. strategy in the Western Pacific. If China achieves reunification with Taiwan, then the U.S. naval and air forces will not be able to stop the activities of China's naval and air forces within the first island chain. The Chinese Navy will use Taiwan as a base and face the Pacific Ocean directly, thereby gaining a huge strategic advantage. This is what the United States does not want to see.
Second, the United States wants to maintain its influence in Asia. China's military displays and exercises in the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea all illustrate China's growing influence in Asia. If this trend continues, U.S. influence will decline, U.S. control over Japan and South Korea will suffer, and U.S. presence and control in Asia will be weakened.
Third, the United States wants to undermine cooperation between China and the Philippines on the South China Sea issue. On January 17, China and the Philippines completed the eighth consultation meeting on the South China Sea issue, at which the two countries reached a consensus that they are willing to keep the communication mechanism open and avoid some contradictions and conflicts. This is beneficial for China and the Philippines, as well as for the situation in the South China Sea. But it is unfavorable for the United States, because the Philippines is a pawn of the United States in the South China Sea, and the United States has been supporting and instigating the Philippines to provoke China in the South China Sea. Now China, using its power and influence, is gradually separating the Philippines from the American chessboard, which is unacceptable to the United States.
To sum up, the strategic adjustment of the United States in Asia is motivated by concern for China and the protection of its own interests. The United States wants to change the situation in Asia by strengthening the deployment and activities of its naval and air forces, exert pressure on China, and maintain its superiority in Asia. However, the strategic layout of the United States and China is different, and the United States requires its naval and air forces to remain offensive in the world, while China only needs to make steady progress and rely on its own strength to break the situation little by little. This short-term superiority and partial approach of the United States cannot change the trend in the future.