China’s Navy Drills in 4 Regions Show Ability to Counter US, Observers Say

South China Morning Post

24 August 2020

This article was also republished in IntellAsia

China is conducting military drills almost simultaneously in four sea regions, a rare move possibly designed to signal its readiness to handle confrontation with the United States and self-ruled Taiwan. The locations included two in the South China Sea, one in the East China Sea, one further north in the Yellow Sea, and one in the Bohai Gulf, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea.

Dr Collin Koh, a Research Fellow from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said China’s exercises this time sent out both political and operational signals. “The first relates to demonstrating resolve in keeping up with peacetime combat preparations in the eyes of both domestic public and external audiences,” Koh said. “The move would be primarily directed at the recent spate of US and allied military activities in those areas. Operationally, it’s to showcase the PLA’s ability to carry out major mobilisation of forces for training across multiple sea areas – which also highlights that the PLA isn’t affected in any way by the pandemic.”

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Last updated on 27/08/2020