[Global Times reporter Guo Yuandan] When attending the opening ceremony of the "Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training" (SEACAT) exercise in Singapore on the 16th, the commander of the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, Carl Thomas, openly criticized the PLA's live ammunition in the sea and airspace around Taiwan Island. , and claimed that the United States is concerned about the increase in the number of air interceptions by the Chinese Air Force in the South China Sea.

A military expert interviewed by a reporter from the Global Times on the 17th said that the Taiwan issue and the South China Sea issue have always been the two major excuses for the United States to "splash dirty water" on China. Thomas's remarks were not unexpected.

The United States is the biggest driver of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region.

　　The United States, along with 20 other partner countries, held the SEACAT exercise in Singapore on the 16th, which aims to strengthen cooperation among Southeast Asian countries, using standardized training, tactics and responses in the face of maritime crises, emergencies or illegal activities. program.

Thomas, referring to the recent large-scale joint military operation of the People's Liberation Army against Taiwan at a media roundtable, declared that it cannot be ignored. This behavior will become the next military norm.”

　　According to the US CNBC report, Thomas claimed, "There is no doubt that the information about the increase (the number of interceptions by the Chinese army) is worrying. If there is a problem during the flight, this is not a very calming situation." He also said that the Chinese Air Force's Intercepting is "unsafe", but it doesn't happen very often.

Thomas mentioned that maintaining the smooth flow of sea transportation channels is the "priority" of the US Navy.

"Sea lanes are the lifeblood of our economy...Having open sea lanes and functioning ships...is extremely important to keep the economy running."

　　The Seventh Fleet is part of the Pacific Fleet under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and is headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan. It is the largest of all U.S. forward-deployed fleets, with as many as 70 ships and 150 aircraft.

　　This is not the first time the US has accused China of the Taiwan issue and the South China Sea issue.

In June this year, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin falsely claimed that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, but “it is China that has changed,” and claimed that China has adopted so-called measures against surrounding areas. of a "more coercive and aggressive attitude".

Austin also accused the "unsafe and unprofessional" manner of "encounters" between Chinese and other countries' aircraft and ships, and that the increase was "shocking".

The US remarks were severely refuted by the Chinese delegation present at the meeting.

　　Since the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the US has claimed that China is escalating the situation and overreacting, using Pelosi's visit as an "excuse" to create a new normal.

Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, emphasized in an interview with international media in Washington on the 16th local time that Pelosi's blatant visit to Taiwan region of China seriously violated the one-China principle, seriously violated China's sovereignty, seriously interfered in China's internal affairs, and seriously violated what the United States has done. Commitment, seriously endangering the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

Some people in the United States not only do not admit or correct their mistakes, but also try to reverse black and white, reverse the narrative, and pour dirty water on China.

　　Qin Gang said that the most basic fact is that the US first provoked China on the Taiwan issue and blatantly violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

To avoid this crisis imposed on China, the Chinese side has made the utmost diplomatic efforts.

It's a pity that the US side can't listen.

China's position is justified, reasonable and legal, China's measures are firm, forceful and appropriate, and China's military exercises are open, transparent and professional, in line with domestic law, international law and international practice.

　　Military expert Zhang Xuefeng said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 17th that the fundamental reason why the People's Liberation Army launched missiles over Taiwan was that Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan without listening to dissuasion.

"Taiwan is a part of China. The US military does not need to be surprised when China lets missiles fly over its own territory. The People's Liberation Army will never stop legitimate military actions just because the US military expresses so-called dissent. The US military's move will only further intensify the conflict."

　　As for the US military's accusation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army intercepting in the airspace of the South China Sea, it is even more groundless.

It can be found from the few public reports that such "unfriendly" incidents exposed by the United States and its allies occurred in the sea and airspace connected to China's Xisha and Nansha, not in the adjacent sea and airspace of the United States and its allies. , the actions taken by the Chinese military are necessary measures to deal with the provocations of relevant countries, which are completely justified and safe and professional.

　　Military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times reporter on the 17th that as the commander of the Seventh Fleet, Thomas hopes to turn the South China Sea into a backyard of the United States that can be trampled on, and fundamentally deny China's ownership of the Nansha Islands and the Paracel Islands. territorial sovereignty.

"In order to maintain its regional hegemony in the South China Sea, the United States has resorted to extreme measures to test China's bottom line and red line under the guise of 'freedom of navigation'. It has continuously violated China's national security and development interests, and China is bound to resolutely counter it." Song Zhongping further stated that if Americans feel safe, China will not be safe, and the United States feels unsafe because it is violating China's interests.

China has never hindered the free navigation of any country or region in the South China Sea, but free navigation cannot violate China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Whether the United States or its allies dare to violate China's territorial waters and airspace, they will surely be intercepted by the People's Liberation Army.