US-China relations: Chinese military mounts another show of force in Bohai and Yellow seas
- Exercises are the latest in a string of manoeuvres Beijing has made public this month
- Efforts are meant to intimidate the United States and Taiwan, Chinese analyst says
One drill started on Saturday in the Yellow Sea and will continue until Thursday while the other began on Friday in the Bohai Sea and will last a week, according to maritime safety administrations in Jiangsu and Liaoning provinces.
A Chinese military observer said the unusually high profile of the exercises reflected the determination of the Chinese military in the face of US provocation.
Describing the recent drills as “routine training”, Diao Daming, an associate professor at Renmin University’s National Academy of Development and Strategy, told state broadcaster China Central Television that the exercises were meant to boost public confidence and intimidate the US and Taiwan.
“Although these drills do not target any specific country, in the face of power that is challenging our sovereignty and security, such drills can make the enemy yield without use of arms,” Diao said, quoting the ancient Chinese strategy book, The Art of War.
“The US has been establishing its hegemony by provoking trouble, such as disrupting regional security in the South China Sea. Our drills demonstrate our resolve to maintain regional stability.”
Shanghai-based military expert Ni Lexiong, said the drills in the Bohai and Yellow seas had the practical purpose of simulating both wartime attack and defence, should there be conflict to unify Taiwan by force.