#头条首发大赛#
The Chinese Navy's Shandong ship was spotted in waters in the South China Sea near the Philippine island of Luzon, a move interpreted as a warning to the Philippines and the United States, the South China Morning Post reported on June 30. This is China's second projection of power into the South China Sea, following the recent "control" of the Philippines' illegal activities by the Philippines at Ren'ai Jiao on the mainland and the deployment of four warships by the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea near the Philippine Palawan Island for training missions. According to satellite images, as early as June 26, the Shandong ship and the 903 supply ship had appeared near the Dongsha Islands. So, what is the Shandong ship doing near Luzon? Is the Shandong aircraft carrier formation a deterrent to the Philippines and the United States?
Satellite image of Sentinel 2 on June 26
Photographed by Meentropy Technology on June 26
The South China Morning Post mentions that the evidence that determined the course of the Shandong ship came from images provided by multiple satellites. These include the European satellites Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2, as well as satellite images released by the mainland's Shanghai Meentropy Technology Company. Judging from these satellite images, the "Sentinel 2" photographed the Shandong ship south of the Dongsha Islands in the early morning of June 26, when the Shandong ship was heading east. About 20 nautical miles in front of it, there is also a suspected 052D and a suspected 903 supply ship. On the same day, Meentropy Technology, located in Shanghai, the mainland, also posted satellite pictures of the Shandong ship on Weibo, but from the location, it seems that the Shandong ship had reached the waters west of Luzon Island in the Philippines at that time.
"Sentinel 2" photographed on June 29, and the Shandong ship was almost in a state of "stealth".
On June 29, the "Sentinel 2" photographed the Shandong ship to the southwest of the Dongsha Islands, which was also closer to the Dongsha Islands. However, on this satellite picture, only the 903 supply ship far east of the Shandong ship was photographed, and the 052D was not found. And on this picture taken at 3 o'clock in the morning, the Shandong ship and the 093 supply ship are almost in an "invisible" state, and they can't see any details at all, and can only vaguely distinguish the splashes on both sides of the hull when they are sailing.
After that, the South China Morning Post reported on June 30 that the Shandong had moved more than 600 kilometers southwest and sailed to the waters between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands. Judging from the pictures posted on Weibo by Meentropy Technology on the same day, the Shandong ship was located between Hainan Island and Sansha City, and was sailing south at that time. Due to the high clarity, not only the track behind the Shandong ship is clearly visible, but also the marking line on the deck of the landing area can also be distinguished.
In fact, judging from the satellite images from the 26th to the 30th, the sailing range of the Shandong ship and the 903 supply ship is not large, almost within the range between the Dongsha and Xisha Islands. After all, the home port of the Shandong ship is in Sanya, so the place where it "moves its muscles" after going out is indeed in this sea area, even if it sometimes goes to the sea area west of Luzon Island in the Philippines, but it is still international waters, and it has not entered the territorial waters of the Philippines.
Therefore, claims such as the Philippines' "Think Tank International Development and Security Cooperation Organization" that this is a "political performance" are appropriate groundless accusations! And the Philippine think tank also declared that if the Shandong or other Chinese warships are found to be in the vicinity of the Philippines very frequently, then "once we see a large-scale military force, it means that Beijing is preparing for war."
In fact, we should understand the tremendous pressure on the "anti-China elements" in the Philippines when they see our aircraft carrier approaching their own country! After all, after the Philippines found it difficult to rely on the United States to achieve its goal of continuing to occupy China's islands and reefs, and China was no longer as forbearant as before, he was completely cowardly! You must know that when the Chinese Navy sent a number of warships to the South China Sea and put on a posture of "doing it with the United States", the US aircraft carrier also chose to leave directly, ignoring the life or death of the Philippines at all. It is estimated that this move stimulated Marcos Jr. a lot, causing him to "award medals" to the soldier of the Philippine army who could no longer "like" him, and he was busy creating public opinion to prepare for a "civil war" with Duterte, and he would no longer "fight against the line" with China at all.
Therefore, when the US military is no longer engaged in the South China Sea and the Philippines is unable to get up again, is it necessary for us to send the Shandong ship to the vicinity of the Philippines to "exert pressure"? Moreover, there may be 052D and 903 supply ships with them, is it possible that the Chinese Navy is already rich enough to use aircraft carrier formations to put pressure on "bad neighbors" at the "doorstep"? You must know that the Philippine special forces were "disabled" last time the coast guard dispatched a few small boats, so if we really use the aircraft carrier formation to do this, it may mean that there will be a situation that the Philippine think tank is worried about!
But in fact, this situation will not appear now, and the Shandong ship has no heart to deal with it, after all, our main opponent is not this kind of "little Karami". According to Song Zhongping, the real purpose of the Shandong ship's circle in the South China Sea may mean that the Shandong ship will soon enter the western Pacific for training, when it will form a formation with four other warships near the Philippine island of Palawan. This may include the 903 supply ship that appeared on satellite imagery earlier. In fact, after the 903 supply ship appeared on the satellite map on the 26th, everyone should guess that the Shandong ship would not be full enough to "threaten" the Philippines, but to carry out a long-distance mission.
Although the purpose of the Shandong to merge with other warships to form an aircraft carrier formation is not specifically to "deter" the Philippines, considering that when it sets off from its current location into the western Pacific, it will generally take two routes: take the Taiwan Strait north of the island of Taiwan; Or take the Bass Strait south of the island of Taiwan. However, no matter which route the Shandong aircraft carrier formation takes, it is bound to "circle the island" for most of the time. What is "coincidental" is that the "Taiwan independence forces" on the island are carrying out this year's "Han Kuang military exercise," so if we want to say that the Shandong aircraft carrier formation is carrying out the task of "deterrence," it is also the "Taiwan independence forces" that deter.
Of course, the Shandong ship can also choose to pass through the Sibutu waterway south of the Philippines, for example, in May this year, our 055 took the 052D, 054A and 903 supply ships, which is the way to go to the Western Pacific. However, since we don't cover this route much, most people may not be familiar with it. But even if the Shandong aircraft carrier formation chooses to take this route close to the Philippines, it does not mean that the Philippines is on the "deterrent list" of Chinese aircraft carriers - because it is really unworthy!
Moreover, because it is necessary to do a good job in the relationship with the brother troops, the navy cannot "grab business" with the coast guard, after all, the coast guard brothers also have their own "KPIs" to complete!