China bomber patrol over South China: China sent a group of bombers with fighter jets over the South China Sea on Sunday for the first time. The Chinese military said this flight was a message for the Philippines after its navy joined patrols with the US and Japan. China claims most parts of the South China Sea, even though the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also say they own parts of the same waters. The area is important because many big shipping routes pass through it.
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The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said it carried out a bomber formation patrol while the Philippines worked with what China calls “external forces.” This is the first time the command has made such an announcement. The joint patrol by the US, Japan and the Philippines took place from Friday to Saturday.
China Warns Philippines
In a statement the Senior Colonel Tian Junli said the Philippines keeps joining “so-called ‘joint patrols’” with other countries and that this action hurts peace in the region. He said, “We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions.”
He also said the theatre command stays ready at all times and will protect China’s “national sovereignty, security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea region.” Tian added that “any attempt to infringe on the sovereignty and stir up trouble will never succeed.”
Experts said the bomber group shows one of the many strike methods the PLA has. Song Zhongping, a military expert, told the Global Times that bombers are a strong part of air strike forces and that using a full bomber team can show more powerful strike ability. He said these bombers can also do “effective saturation attacks even if the opponent has large surface ships.” Song said the Philippines has been calling in other countries to join what China calls “so-called ‘joint patrols’” and that these actions threaten China’s claims over its islands and reefs.
Japan-China Tensions
The rising trouble between China and the Philippines comes at the same time as China and Japan enter a new tense moment. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that if China uses force against Taiwan, Japan might treat it as a “survival-threatening situation,” which could allow Japan to use its right of collective self-defence, reproted ET. Her words caused a strong argument between the two countries. China said that any Japanese move in Taiwan would be seen as aggression and would bring strong retaliation.
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On sunday the PLA Daily wrote a sharp commentary saying Japan could push itself into grave danger. The article said Takaichi had shown Tokyo’s “wolfish ambition to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs through military means.” The commentary also said Japan’s “misguided actions” would take the country “down a path of no return.” It warned that “It risks the entire country becoming a battlefield.”
Reports from Japan said Takaichi’s approval ratings went up after her tough stand. Her new approval reached 69.9%, rising 5.5 percentage points from the last survey. The poll found that 60.4% of people wanted more defence spending to strengthen Japan’s defence, and 48.8% supported using collective self-defence if a Taiwan crisis happens.
