Beijing has responded to the US Navy’s ramped-up presence in the South China Sea – an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson has been scheduled to call at Vietnamese ports next month – with squadrons of advanced fighters including Su-35s and J-20s that will soon start patrolling the 3.5-million-square-kilometer sea.
Further incidents involving US and Chinese forces appear inevitable after the China News Service revealed that the US guided-missile destroyer Hopper came within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island) last month, and was intercepted by the Chinese missile destroyer Huangshan. CNS said the US warship steered away from the area after a brief standoff.
Similar encounters in the air are set to become frequent as well, as the People’s Liberation Army has dispatched an unconfirmed number of Su-35 multirole fighters to the sea for joint combat cruise missions.
This is “a pragmatic action for the air force to fulfill its mission in the new era and conduct combat training exercises” above the South China Sea, said a statement by the PLA Air Force on its Weibo social media account.
It is also rumored that several J-20s already in service with the PLAAF will fly south to join Russian-made counterparts to test the 4.5th generation fighter’s operational reliability.
The deployment showed that pilot training for new jets was surprisingly fast, said a Chinese military commentator.
“We just received a group of jets from Russia and inaugurated the J-20 last year, and now we can put them into a real combat mission in the South China Sea,” Xu Guangyu, senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.
China reportedly bought 24 Su-35 fighter jets for US$2 billion from Russia in 2015, and Russia completed delivery of the planes by the end of last year.
“The appearance of advanced PLA fighter jets capable of attacking surface combat vessels in this region is sort of a reaction to the provocation by the US,” Xu said.
These aircraft can easily be stationed or serviced on several airstrips and bases created via dredging sand and shoals in the vast sea, after Beijing’s frenzied island-building has created a host of “unsinkable aircraft carriers” in the sea.
Yet some observers have suggested that J-20s are not likely to have a very formidable presence above the South China Sea. Besides the current production bottlenecks, the high temperatures, humidity and brine corrosion there will render the J-20’s stealth coating ineffective after prolonged exposure to such an environment.
They argue that the J-20 is not designed for sea patrols but for air superiority above land held by an enemy.
Hoy Hoy Sum Here is the attached letter of Cui Tiankai, China’s Ambassador to the US, to Secretary of State John Kerry dated May 22, 2015, about the Island building and military facility in the South China Sea. See page 3 of the link below:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/Twitter12.19.15.4.pdf
Also, you can read it on this blog below…
https://nbakay.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/why-china-is-building-an-island-and-military-facility-in-the-south-china-sea/
Simon Long You are making poor comparisons. With regard to Dokdo Japan (and Korea) have clear historical records to back their claim. China has nothing at all. Taiwan’s claim is not the same as China’s and if they did take a different stance, China would punish them severely. Also China is building on features they can’t even prove they own while destroying beautiful marine habitat in the process. China also promised not to militarize these man made features but secretly did so. This is Chinese politics of "talk while you take" Big changes are coming in how Western comaniese will do business with China. First set of sanctions by US just last week and more to come by others guaranteed.
Roger Cheng You are mistaking me for someone else. I have read many publications from respected others such as Bill Hayton and Chris Chung. I think you ned to develop your critial thinking skills instead of being a shill for China’s MOFA. You can read articles by Bill Hayton all over the internet. He systematically dismantles China’s false claims. Chris Chung a Chinese Canadian from University of Calgary has his article in PDF form right here. You should read it. https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/11023/955/ucalgary_2013_chung_chris.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y
Venugopal Gopalsamy welll well your racist instincts are coming out. I could return my reply the same way. But why I should I bother. I would put myself at you level.
Nonsense talk you Chinese bastard
Steven J. Barber I think, you need to do a better job and inform yourself with the real facts. The information you are providing is what CNN or similar media outlets provide.My best advise for you is to avoitd speaking like a parrot. It is not a way to have a serious conversation.
Imagine if all countries used this historical rights to grab lands or seas this will be winner take all.It will bring chaos and instability on this planet of ours.But only China are using method so far.
Canada isn’t unilaterally whopping up massive cement structions in disputed waters on the basis of dubious historical claims buddy. Let’s not forget other nations have claims to the SCS as well. I’ve read China’s claim and as Bill Hayton has proven China’s statement that the South China Sea is an inherent part of her territory is a joke. If you belive it, please put your money where your mouth is. Please do a better job than China’s cowardly MOFA, they didn’t even have the balls to show up the Hague!
Ks Hue If the UN is useless then China can rescind her membership. She can also rescind her membership to the WTO. The fact is China’s claim to the SCS is a sham. China has no historical title to the South China Sea they only have sketchy records of voyages to this body of water. China’s maps of the South China Sea look like a six year old drew them. Her historical documents don’t mention anything about having territorial ownership of the SCS. Even if China owns these islands they are not capable of generating an EEZ because they do not have the ability to sustain life or an independent economy. China bases her claim to the SCS on a 1947 map unilaterally drawn by her own Ministry of the Interior! What a joke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=285&v=egMHf6fNbzA
Hoy Hoy Sum
Here is a very interesting link that worth reading as history was being altered by the victor.
BRITISH SECRET SERVICE AGENT MAO ZEDONG!!
http://www.reformation.org/british-secret-service-agent-mao-zedong.html
The attached letter of Cui Tiankai, China’s Ambassador to the US, to Secretary of State John Kerry dated May 22, 2015, about the Island building and military facility in the South China Sea. See page 3 of the link below:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/Twitter12.19.15.4.pdf
Also, you can read it on this blog below…
https://nbakay.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/why-china-is-building-an-island-and-military-facility-in-the-south-china-sea/
China’s military is a joke. The PLA is only trained to march well and recite Communist dotrine. Both the Chinese Navy and Air Force use knock-off trash that is operated by naifs. Even more crazy, this untested military force doesn’t even have a department to coordinate their three branches’ efforts in a battle. Japan could kick the snot out of the organ harvesting, dog-eating, pretentious land usurpers. Debating if the United States could annihilate them is absurd. It would take less than a week of target practice to decimate China’s ability to wage war.
The attached letter of Cui Tiankai, China’s Ambassador to the US, to Secretary of State John Kerry dated May 22, 2015, about the Island building and military facility in the South China Sea. See page 3 of the link below:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/Twitter12.19.15.4.pdf
Also, you can read it on this blog below…
https://nbakay.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/why-china-is-building-an-island-and-military-facility-in-the-south-china-sea/
THAT IS WHAT THEY CALL GREEDY THAT IS VERY FAR FROM THERE MAINLAND
Dencio Alejandro Antonio , UN is irrelvant nowadays , UN is only usefull tool using by the west only , even as SCS is concern , UN has already make cleared itself this PCA set up by the former US president , it was not involve by UN , in case if you are heavy one sided please balance yourself by updating the latest news around the world especially around Middle East countries before you bring in UN , before you go any further you should read more histories of Asia especially China and again you should update yourself what is going on day to day business among we Asian countries involving the SCS issues definitely we don’t don’t need someone who is from so far away to sort things out for us . they already looking down on us for quite long which I hated so much !
No worries god will protect Phils from different scavengers who would like to get the west Phils sea if god can give the capbility like Israel those squatters will be pulverized.
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart US and UK are irrelevant here. We are talking about China. One day China will come out with a new map encompassing the whole of Pacific Ocean as her own. And she will use it military might to terrorize those who will oppose her.
Dencio Alejandro Antonio US never respect any UN ruling nor the UK so why would China? That’s how it works just look at Syria US troops illegally in Syria. I thought the UN told UK to give back the Falklands
So why not also claim the railways that Chinese labor used in building the tracks in US mainlandmainland.
Dont ever get entangled with US at this time. China’s fighter jets are no match with US. Maybe after 10 years of more RND, they make a chance to beat them. But at the moment, China forces will be decimated within a day.