The Chinese Coast Guard has scooped up "unidentified objects" in the waters near Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea, but what has been found may be only a drop in the ocean, and the underwater struggle between China and the United States in the South China Sea may have entered a white-hot stage!
The South China Sea has always been a focal point for all parties, and the U.S. military is clearly trying to establish military superiority in the region, as the latest events have once again demonstrated. According to information disclosed by CCTV reporters, the Chinese side recently discovered that US military planes were circling over the South China Sea and continuously dropping "unidentified objects", and the Chinese coast guard then salvaged and scooped up the object with the word "Ultra Electronics" printed on it. Some experts revealed that the site of the US military launch is close to Ren'ai Jiao, and the relevant electronic equipment "can be used to detect the signal of the Chinese submarine, and can also conduct signal confrontation with the submarine underwater." Considering that Ultra Electronics is also a submarine detection developer specializing in providing systematic services to the U.S. Navy, the nature of the U.S. military's action is clear, and they are throwing anti-submarine equipment into the South China Sea to strengthen their anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the South China Sea.
It should be said that even if this incident does not occur, the trend of the US military continuing to strengthen its anti-submarine warfare capability in the South China Sea is clear at a glance. While the outside world usually focuses on the activities of U.S. Navy surface ships in and out of the South China Sea, and links U.S. operations to geopolitical situations in the South China Sea, the military objectives of U.S. Navy-related operations are often overlooked. In fact, the South China Sea has become the main battlefield for the underwater confrontation between China and the United States, because in China's periphery, the South China Sea is the only sea area that is more suitable for submarine activities, and it is the main training and activity area for China's underwater forces. It should be pointed out that the average water depth in the Bohai Sea is only 18 meters, while the average water depth in the Yellow Sea is 44 meters, which is not suitable for submarine activities at all. Although the average water depth in the East China Sea is more than 300 meters, this direction is full of submarine sonar arrays of the United States and its allies, not to mention a large number of anti-submarine activities of foreign forces, which is also not suitable for PLA submarine activities.
Only the South China Sea, with an average water depth of 1,212 meters, high waves and deep water, and a complex climate, is very suitable for submarine covert activities. At the same time, the South China Sea is vast, the military forces of neighboring countries are generally weak, and PLA submarines in this direction are less disturbed by external anti-submarine forces, so the Chinese Navy will naturally regard the South China Sea as the main area of activity and deployment of submarine forces. In addition, from the South China Sea, Chinese submarines can either go east through the Bass Strait or the waterway between the Philippines and Malaysia, breaking through the first island chain into the South Pacific. It is also possible to go west, through the Strait of Malacca, into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, through which Chinese strategic missile nuclear submarines could theoretically pass to the US mainland. It is precisely because of these objective conditions in the South China Sea that the PLA submarine force regards the South China Sea as its main area of activity, while the United States must launch an antisubmarine operation in the direction of the South China Sea if it wants to carry out an offensive and antisubmarine attack and preemptively destroy China's submarine forces.
Therefore, from a purely military point of view, it is easy to understand that the United States will certainly strengthen its anti-submarine deployment in the South China Sea out of consideration for dealing with China's submarine forces. Of course, in addition to the purpose of countering Chinese submarines, the shipping value of the South China Sea itself is another key reason for the US military to strengthen its activities in this direction. You know, China is still a very import-dependent country, especially in the energy sector, most of China's crude oil needs to be imported, and most of the imported crude oil has to pass through the sea, especially through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Then the United States, for its part, has hardly intended to hide its intention to cut off China's sea lines of communication in wartime. In addition to using large surface warships to block China's sea lines of communication in the far seas, the US military can also send submarines to China's coastal areas, such as launching maritime engagements in the South China Sea, to further cut off China's sea transportation, and this is another reason why the United States is eager to enhance its underwater combat capability in the South China Sea.
All in all, the military value of the South China Sea cannot be underestimated, and the activities of the US military in this direction are by no means only geopolitical, military considerations cannot be ignored. In the future, the South China Sea is likely to remain the main battlefield for underwater confrontation between China and the United States, and the United States is bound to further strengthen its military deployment in the South China Sea, especially focusing on strengthening anti-submarine warfare in this direction. The US military aircraft recently invested in anti-submarine equipment in the South China Sea was discovered by the Chinese side, but this is just a drop in the ocean, no one knows how much military resources the US military has invested in the South China Sea, but the PLA must not take it lightly, for Chinese submarines, the South China Sea will not be a very safe sea area in the future, and the PLA needs to act together to jointly respond to the growing pressure of the US military in this region.