The US Navy has announced that it will send the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier battle group to conduct joint patrols and exercises with four Philippine Navy ships in the South China Sea. The move was seen as a demonstration of the U.S. military presence in the South China Sea to the Philippines, as well as a deterrent to China. However, just as the exercise was about to begin, the U.S. Navy abruptly changed its plans and sent only one guided-missile destroyer to participate in the exercise, while the aircraft carrier and other ships went to the mainland of the Philippines for a visit. This change turned the originally huge US-Finan-China naval exercise into a "seaside walk".
According to reports, the US-Finan's naval exercise was originally scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 January, and the US Navy will dispatch the USS Carl Vinson, a cruiser, and two destroyers to carry out patrols, exercises, and photography missions in the South China Sea with the Philippine Navy's patrol ships USS Del Pinal, USS Ramón Alcarino, USS Antonio Luna, and USS Batanan. However, on the very day of the exercise, the US Navy suddenly informed the Philippine Navy that due to "certain operational needs," the US Navy could only send the destroyer USS Sterret to participate in the exercise, while other ships would visit Manila and Subic Bay in the Philippines. The U.S. Navy did not give a specific reason or say when it would return to its original plans.
The news was a huge disappointment to the Philippine Navy, which had expected to fight alongside the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier battle group to demonstrate its strength and sovereignty in the South China Sea, but instead had to conduct a simple sailing exercise off the coast of the Philippines with a destroyer, and was forced to shorten the duration and content of the exercise, canceling the planned artillery drills and photo missions. Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, commander of the Western Command of the Philippines, originally planned to board the USS Carl Vinson, perform the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft, and shoot some propaganda, but now he can only look at the US aircraft carrier in the distance on the patrol ship "Del Pinar" and feel helpless.
What is even more embarrassing for the Philippine Navy is that at the same time as the US-Philippine military exercises, the Chinese Navy also conducted "routine" naval and air patrols in the South China Sea. It is reported that the Chinese Navy's Type 054A frigate Huangshan and Type 052D missile destroyer Hefei appeared in the waters near the US-Philippine military exercise on January 3 and 4 respectively to "track" and "monitor" the US and Philippine fleets. The arrival of these two medium-leading ships has made the Philippine Navy's radar screen, in addition to its own three ships and an American destroyer, two more "uninvited guests". The Philippine Navy can't help but be puzzled, is this a military exercise between the United States and the Philippines, or a military exercise between China and the United States and the Philippines?
The appearance of the Chinese Navy is undoubtedly a response and warning to the US-Philippine military exercises. In this way, the Chinese Navy demonstrates China's sovereignty and interests in the South China Sea, as well as its opposition to and resistance to any external interference. The military presence of the Chinese Navy has also greatly reduced the deterrent effect of the US-Philippine military exercises, and even called into question the significance and necessity of the US-Philippine military exercises. It is unknown why the U.S. Navy changed its plans at the last minute, whether it was because of fears of conflict with the Chinese Navy, or because there were more urgent tasks to deal with. But what is certain is that this move by the US Navy has made the Philippine Navy feel lost and uneasy, and has also made the Philippines doubt the US commitment and position in the South China Sea.
In the context of the US-Philippine South China naval exercise, China's Southern Theater released a ** of the Dongfeng series of missiles on its official Weibo, with the text "Travel every day, not afraid of thousands of miles, often do, not afraid of thousands of things". The Weibo sparked heated discussions among netizens, with some seeing it as a response to the US-Philippine military exercises, while others saw it as a prospect for the situation in the South China Sea. In any case, this Weibo sends a clear signal that China will not back down or compromise on the South China Sea issue, will not allow any country to provoke or cause trouble in the South China Sea, and will not allow any force to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea. This is also the biggest warning to the US-Philippine military exercises.