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United States Raises Military Pressure On China As Tensions Over Pandemic Increase

2020-05-15T09:35:07.959Z


The United States is increasing military pressure on China amid mounting tensions over the South China Sea and is accusing Beijing of trying to take advantage of the pandemic of ...


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US Alert for possible Chinese cyber attacks on studies on covid-19 0:26

(CNN) - The United States is increasing military pressure on China amid mounting tensions over the South China Sea and accuses Beijing of trying to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to extend its sphere of influence in the region.

In the past few weeks, US Navy ships and Air Force B-1 bombers have undertaken missions designed to send the rather public message that the US Armed Forces. USA they intend to maintain a presence in the region and reassure their allies.

It is also a priority for the Pentagon that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt return to sea in the region by the end of the month.

The measures come as the United States increases diplomatic pressure with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, publicly attacking Beijing for failing to stop the spread of the virus and not being transparent during the early stages of the outbreak that originated in the country.

The Pentagon accused China of exploiting the pandemic to gain military and economic advantage by expanding the areas in which it operates.

"The People's Republic of China is trying to use the regional approach at covid to assertively advance its own interests," the US Navy captain told CNN on Wednesday. USA, Michael Kafka, spokesman for the Indo-Pacific Command of the US armed forces.

The Pentagon says the pandemic has not hurt its capabilities

And the Pentagon made it clear that the coronavirus outbreak has not hurt its ability to respond to Chinese actions.

"We have the ability to provide long-range fire anywhere, anytime and carry overwhelming firepower, even during the pandemic," said Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of the Air Force Global Attack command who oversees the bomber force in the area.

On Wednesday, the Pacific Navy Fleet took the unusual step of announcing that all of its submarines in the region were conducting operations at sea "in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region amid the coronavirus pandemic "

While the US military recently ended its "continued presence of bombers" on the Pacific island of Guam for the first time since 2004, the US Air Force. It has continued to send bombers to the region.

In recent weeks, the US flew B-1 bombers from bases in the US USA to the region on three separate occasions, including an operation over the South China Sea and the deployment of four B-1 bombers and 200 staff members from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas to Guam.

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At the end of last month, the US Navy. USA It also challenged the waters surrounding the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea, disputed islands that the United States has long said China is using to house weapons and military installations.

Those challenges prompted a sharp rebuke from Beijing, which called on the US. USA to focus on their response to the coronavirus and to cease such military operations.

"China urges the United States to focus on its own pandemic prevention and control problems, make more contributions to the global fight against covid-19, and immediately halt military operations that are detrimental to security, peace and stability regional, ”Colonel Li Huamin, spokesman for the South Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, said in a statement.

No one suggests that the United States is heading into a conflict with China, but Defense Secretary Mark Esper continues to make mitigating Beijing a priority.

"We are concerned about the increasing opportunistic activity of the People's Republic of China to coerce its neighbors and press their illegal maritime claims in the South China Sea, while the region and the world are focused on addressing the covid-19 pandemic" Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, told CNN.

China has long criticized what it calls US provocations. USA and its military efforts in the South China Sea that began several years ago when China made claims over disputed territories.

The South China Sea is strategically crucial

The South China Sea is considered a crucial strategic location as it is home to some of the world's busiest shipping routes, as well as potential deposits of natural resources such as oil and gas. Parts of the sea are disputed by multiple plaintiffs, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan. China has built outposts on artificial islands in the disputed area, locating military and missile installations there as part of an attempt to exercise control over strategic waterways, according to US officials.

"We continue to execute a global Freedom of Navigation operations program in which US Navy ships. USA They safely and professionally challenge excessive maritime claims, including those of the South China Sea. We also make routine transits across the Taiwan Strait to further demonstrate that the United States will fly, navigate and operate anywhere that international law allows, ”Kafka said.

On Wednesday, a guided missile destroyer from the US Navy. The US, the USS McCampbell, passed through the Taiwan Strait.

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"The transit of the ship across the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Lt. Anthony Junco, spokesman for the United States Navy Seventh Fleet, told CNN.

The United States routinely navigates the Taiwan Strait, but the Chinese military forces consider the strategic waterway that separates China from Taiwan to be a priority area and often overshadows American ships sailing in the area.

China routinely protests the activities of the US Navy. in the region and often dispatches ships or planes to monitor American ships. After the United States' freedom of navigation operation that challenged Chinese claims to the Paracel Islands late last month, Chinese authorities said the United States was engaging in "provocative acts" that "could easily trigger an unexpected incident."

The United States also says that China has tried to intimidate other nations in the region.

In mid-April, China deployed a reconnaissance ship, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, along with up to 10 Coast Guard and maritime militia ships, as part of an apparent show of force in an area claimed by Malaysia and Beijing, according to two officials. defense.

The move was an apparent attempt to intimidate a Malaysian state-owned oil company that had deployed a Panamanian-flagged drilling vessel, the West Capella, to search for oil in the area.

Using a survey of ship-led fleets to harass claimants in the South China Sea "is a proven Chinese strategy," said an official, adding that China had used similar tactics against Vietnam.

The United States responded earlier this month by sailing twice on warships near the drill ship, a show of force intended to signal Beijing that the US Navy. USA it can defy any Chinese attempt to seize resources in the area.

"We are committed to a rule-based order in the South China Sea and will continue to defend freedom of the seas and the rule of law," Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement. USA after one of the "presence operations" near the drilling vessel.

"The Chinese Communist Party must end its pattern of intimidation in Southeast Asia over oil, gas and deep-sea fishing. Millions of people in the region depend on these resources for their livelihood, "he added.

China also appears to be using its military force to send a message that it is capable of operating at longer distances for longer periods of time to challenge its neighbors and the United States. The United States says that China's only operational aircraft carrier entered the South China Sea last week along with several other warships.

CNN's Brad Lendon contributed to this report.

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2020-05-15

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