Chapter 06 South China Sea Hegemony and U.S. Rivalry (2)

On August 26, 2020, the United States blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and imposed visa restrictions on some of the companies’ personnel for their involvement in military construction operations such as building artificial islands in the South China Sea.

On March 16, 2021, the United States and Japan issued a joint statement reiterating their opposition to the CCP’s illegal maritime activities in the South China Sea and reaffirming that the 2016 international arbitration ruling is final and legally binding on the parties.

On April 17, 2021, following the U.S.-Japan summit meeting, the U.S. and Japan issued a joint statement reiterating their strong opposition to the CCP’s illegal claims in violation of international law and that the U.S. and Japan support and guarantee freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

Until today, the U.S. military has not taken action to destroy or cripple the military facilities on the CCP’s man-made islands. However, U.S. ships still enter the 12-mile maritime zone claimed by the Chinese Communist Party from time to time, not recognizing the Chinese Communist Party’s maritime rights. The Chinese Communist Party is helpless in the face of the powerful U.S. Navy. The only way to keep up appearances is to issue official warnings and messages about the Chinese Communist Navy trailing surveillance. The standoff between the U.S. and China since 2013 continues in a stalemate.

In May 2021, the United Kingdom announced that it would send a fleet of newly launched aircraft carriers to the Far East for a cruise to cheer the United States against the challenges of the Chinese Communist Party. The United States has joined Japan, Australia and India to confront the Chinese Communist Party and the United Kingdom will join to strengthen its voice.

Xi Jinping Pulls Out the Punches to Battle the U.S.. In addition to the South China Sea, following the establishment of a naval base in Djibouti, East Africa, in 2017, a secret agreement was signed with Cambodia in 2019 to establish a naval base and military airfield in Cambodia. Combined with military installations in the South China Sea, it forms a triangular peripheral position that encircles the entire Southeast Asia. According to the agreement between the Chinese Communist Party and Cambodia, the Chinese side will build two new docks at the naval base in Yunyang and dig a deeper harbor to facilitate the docking of large Chinese naval vessels. The Chinese side will be allowed to use the base for 30 years, after which the contract will be automatically renewed every 10 years, and the Chinese side can station military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

In addition to the Cambodian naval base in Yunyang, China has been granted a 99-year lease to build a large military airfield at Chissinghai, 60 kilometers away from Yunyang. 2 miles of runways allow long-range bombers and giant transport planes to land and take off and there are several curves for fighter planes to land and take off quickly. From there, direct attacks can be made on targets in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, etc.