China-US Relations: USS Ronald Reagan and Nimitz carriers sent to disputed waters as China tensions rise

The U.S. is sending two aircraft carriers into one of Asia’s hottest spots to deliver a pointed message to China that it doesn’t appreciate Beijing’s military ramp-up in the region.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz are set to hold some of the U.S. Navy’s largest exercises in recent years in the South China Sea from Saturday—at the same time that China is holding drills in the area.

With tensions rising between the two over trade, the coronavirus pandemic and China’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, U.S. officials said they wanted to challenge what they called Beijing’s unlawful territorial claims.

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USS Ronald Reagan and Nimitz carriers sent to disputed waters as China tensions rise - MarketWatch

China parades MASSIVE military as war fear rise over North Korea and the South China Sea - by Henry Holloway

NUCLEAR weapons, tanks and soldiers from China’s army showed off the might as tensions rise with the the USA.

Helicopters and warplanes screamed overhead as dozens of tanks and tens of thousands of troops marched in terrifying unison.

Behind them rolled huge missile launcher carrying China’s nuclear weapons and hundreds of gun bristling trucks.

The fearless display came as tensions rise with the Wes (USA over dispute territory in the South China Sea and China’s relationship with North Korea.

Read more: China parades MASSIVE military as war fear rise over North Korea and the South China Sea | Daily Star

China versus US:Will the South China Sea issue be a tipping point of China-U.S. relations?

The increasingly active U.S. military presence in the South China Sea region is fanning tensions in the region, and fueling concerns that it may lead to a tipping point in China-U.S. ties.

On Tuesday, a U.S. EP-3 aircraft undertook close reconnaissance near Hainan Island forcing two Chinese fighter jets, which maintained a safe distance from the aircraft, to track and monitor its activities.
United States flag-bearing warships and military aircraft have been engaged in reconnaissance in the guise of "freedom of navigation and flyover."

Last week, the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence sailed within 12 nautical miles of Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands without Chinese permission: A clear violation of China's sovereignty.

This incident, which occurred close to Hainan Island, brings a similar event to mind. On April 1, 2001, a U.S. EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft caused a Chinese fighter jet to crash in waters off Hainan, leading to the most serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries in decades.

The current military action in the region aggrandizes the chances of history repeating itself.

As it has yet to shake off its Cold War mentality when dealing with China, the United States seems intent on preventing a rising China from challenging its hegemony. This outlook is the root of its policies related to the South China Sea.

This mentality is outdated as peace and development are aspirations shared by both sides.

What would be the consequence should Chinese and U.S. aircraft collide over the South China Sea again, or similar incidents occur on the water between warships of the two countries?

China and the United States can agree on one thing: Neither wants the situation to escalate.

The two countries differ in the way they regard -- and handle -- the South China Sea issue, however, China-U.S. relations have never been better, and their common interests far outweigh their differences.

With bilateral exchanges in military, people-to-people and other fields increasing, and the two countries cooperating in global issues such as climate change and nuclear security, the South China Sea issue should not be allowed to a tipping point.

With over 100 exchange and dialogue mechanisms established between the two countries, differences can be controlled within limits, as long as both sides are sincere.

If the United States stops violating China's sovereignty and viewing it through an old-fashioned realistic geopolitical lens and, instead, takes a more constructive attitude toward China, it will find more converging interests.

Read more at Xinhuanet 

South China Sea: China's Supersonic Ship Killer Is Making U.S. Navy's Job Harder - by David Tweed

Increased interactions between the the Chinese and U.S. navy in the contested South China Sea risk becoming more complicated by the increasingly sophisticated missiles being carried by submarines.

A new report to the U.S. Congress assessing a Chinese submarine-launched missile known as the YJ-18 highlights the danger, noting the missile accelerates to supersonic speed just before hitting its target, making it harder for a crew to defend their ship.

Defense chiefs from several countries in Southeast Asia have warned in recent months of the danger of undersea “clutter” as countries build up submarine fleets and the U.S. challenges China over its claim to a large swath of the South China Sea. This week’s U.S. patrol inside the 12-nautical mile zone that China claims around its man-made islands in the waters saw the USS Lassen shadowed by two Chinese naval vessels.

The YJ-18 missile can cruise at about 600 miles an hour, or just under the speed of sound, only a few meters above the surface of the sea and then, about 20 nautical miles from its target, accelerate to as much as three times the speed of sound, according to an Oct. 28 report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

“The supersonic speed makes it harder to hit with on-board guns,” according to Larry Wortzel, a member of the commission. “It also makes it a faster target for radars.”

Read more: China's Supersonic Ship Killer Is Making U.S. Navy's Job Harder - Bloomberg Business