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China Accuses US of Raising Regional Tensions in South China Sea

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves beside a US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise at the joint military exercise called “Balikatan,” (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves beside a US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise at the joint military exercise called “Balikatan,” (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
    Asharq A-Awsat
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China Accuses US of Raising Regional Tensions in South China Sea

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves beside a US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise at the joint military exercise called “Balikatan,” (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves beside a US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise at the joint military exercise called “Balikatan,” (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The US continues to strengthen its military deployment in the South China Sea and is deliberately pushing up regional tensions, China's defense ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Tan Kefei made the remark in response to media reports about a US-Philippines joint statement objecting to China's maritime claims and "provocative activities" in the South China Sea.

US and Philippine armed forces unleashed a volley of missiles on a mock enemy warship in the South China Sea on Wednesday.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr watched from a four-story tower as a high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) fired rockets at a decommissioned navy corvette in the waters just a few miles off its western province of Zambales.

It was the first time the annual US-Philippines "Balikatan" exercises featured live fire drills at sea, at a location just a few hours by boat from one of the world's most contested maritime features, the Scarborough Shoal, which China has occupied for more than a decade.

Military from both countries have said the exercises across the Philippines, which include sites facing Taiwan, were not targeted at any country.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.