By Zhang Junshe
The US-led joint maritime exercise, RIMPAC 2024, kicked off in Hawaii on June 27 and will last till August 1. It is reported that 40 surface vessels and three submarines from 29 countries, army units from 14 countries, over 150 aircraft and 25,000 troops participated in the exercise.
According to some US officials and scholars, a major subject of this year's RIMPAC is the live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) aimed at a retired 40,000-ton USS Tarawa (LHA-1) amphibious assault ship, which is allegedly in response to "China's recent advancements in large amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers, crucial in a potential Taiwan Strait conflict.”
Such subject as SINKEX fully demonstrates that the US instigates bloc confrontation against China on the Taiwan question in preparation for its military interference in the Strait. This is not only against the wish of most Asia-Pacific countries, but also goes back on the US leader's commitment that its alliances are not targeted against China, the US does not support "Taiwan independence", and the US does not seek conflict with China. The real purpose of RIMPAC is not to keep the Asia Pacific peaceful and stable, but to coerce other nations to join the US-led clique and serve its geostrategic agenda of suppressing its rivals in the bloc confrontation.
In fact, of the more than 20 countries participating in the exercise, only a few countries such as Japan, Australia, and Canada are the US' staunch followers who are willing to be its cat's paw, whereas the rest of the participants, who either don't want or dare to say no to Washington, have only sent troops as a gesture without any real intention of getting on the US war chariot. Many Asian countries have seen through the real intention of the US in creating bloc confrontation, and have explicitly expressed their refusal to pick sides in the major-country competition. They don't want to see Asia, which has enjoyed decades of stability and development, being ravaged by major-country competition and bloc confrontation.
Recently, China and the US have been pushing their militaries to resume communication and dialogue on the basis of equality and respect to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state at their San Francisco meeting, and the hard-won positive trend in mil-to-mil relations must be cherished. Yet the US side continues to create risks of confrontation while turning a blind eye to China's core interests and major concerns. That is the root cause of the fluctuating relations between the two militaries. The US is all talk about communication, but has never stopped containing and suppressing China – such duplicity won't do and will lead it to a dead end.
China attaches great importance to the mil-to-mil relations with the US side, but that is on the precondition of unwavering principles, namely its sovereignty, dignity, and core interests shall never be infringed upon. The US side should respect China's bottom line and stop its attempts to harm China's sovereignty, security and development interests. On the Taiwan question, it should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, deliver what its leader has committed, stop meddling in China's internal affair, and refrain from propping up the "Taiwan independence" forces in any way.
(The author is a naval expert.)
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
