By Denis Korkodinov
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing is stepping up the pace of military maneuvers in the South China Sea. The purpose of such maneuvers is to prepare the Chinese army to repel the offensive actions of probable adversaries off the coast.
Based on the fact that the United States sent 2 aircraft carrier strike groups against China and is preparing a legal justification for launching hostilities in the South China Sea, the Chinese leadership initiated a series of exercises to deploy large-scale defensive assets in the territorial waters of the country.
In this regard, the Philippines and Malaysia, which are in a state of dispute with China over sea borders, have introduced martial law in the capitals of their states. The situation is complicated by the fact that the President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, the Minister of National Defense of the island state Dolphin Lorenzana, as well as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Felimon Talusan Santos Jr., are currently in quarantine due to the fact that they discovered a coronavirus. This circumstance significantly weakens the country’s defense capabilities, which makes it extremely vulnerable in the event of a foreign invasion, including from China or the United States.
Among other things, the White House administration is furious that it so far has not been able to counteract the spread of COVID-19, which US President Donald Trump called the “Chinese virus.” In support of this, a group of American lawyers, acting on the initiative of Washington, filed lawsuits in courts, accusing Beijing of using biological weapons. For this reason, 2 carrier strike groups were deployed in the immediate vicinity of the Chinese borders, which were called upon to become the main driving force in the event of an escalation of the conflict between Washington and Beijing.
Despite the apparent tension in international relations, China is still trying to build an information campaign in such a way as not to provoke third countries to display aggression due to the spread of COVID-19. Thus, the official media of the People’s Republic of China tend not to use the opinion that the virus may be of laboratory origin. Thus, the Chinese media are trying to deprive the White House administration and other countries of the grounds for invading China. However, apparently, to convince the United States and Israel that Beijing is not involved in the organization of the pandemic, it turns out pretty badly.
Meanwhile, China is trying to use the current situation in order to strengthen its position in the South China Sea. So, not limited to conducting military exercises, Beijing, from February 17 to March 18, 2020, organized the production of natural gas in the discharged waters. This allowed the Chinese leadership to solemnly declare that their country has become a regional leader in the extraction of mineral deposits on the seabed.
Due to the pandemic affecting the world, such Chinese activity in the South China Sea was almost unnoticed. In the near future, as some experts note, Beijing will be able to control more than 90 percent of the sea, which will significantly increase its weight in the international arena.
(The views expressed in this article belong only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).