US Pacific Commander Robert Willard recently said in the Philippines that the United States will maintain military presence in the South China Sea for a long time. Pertaining to this, a Chinese military expert reminded that, although the large numbers of the naval and air force bases of the US military in Thailand, the Philippines, and other places are in a state of closure, China still should stay vigilant to the US military's return to the South China Sea.

Willard said in the Philippines on 18 August that the United States will maintain military presence in the South China Sea on a long-term basis, and he expressed the hope that the countries around the South China Sea will actively develop their military strengths to "protect their territorial waters".

May Build Naval and Air Force Bases in Vietnam and the Philippines

Pertaining to this matter, Liu Jiangping, a well-known Chinese military expert, was of the view that Willard's remarks show that the US military likely will increase the frequency of its activities in the South China Sea, but the possibility of forming a special South China Sea mixed fleet is not high, because it is very difficult for the US military to find a suitable base in the region.

He said: Overall speaking, currently the US military presence in the South China Sea is rather weak, and its job is mainly to carry out intelligence reconnaissance. Earlier, although the US military had naval and air force bases in Thailand, the Philippines, and other places, these bases basically have been closed and they now just exist in name only. Currently the US military presence in the South China Sea mainly exists in five forms: Reconnaissance planes and naval vessels are dispatched from its bases in Japan to carry out reconnaissance and patrol missions in the South China Sea; the Changgi port in Singapore is used as a naval vessels supply base; an agreement was signed with the Philippines on building an under-sea sonar base for detecting submarines; multi-national military exercises are carried out frequently; it carries out counter-terrorism cooperation with Indonesia and other countries. In addition, US naval vessels frequently sail through the South China Sea from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. Liu Jiangping pointed out: The US military probably will re-secure naval and air force bases in Vietnam and the Philippines. China should stay vigilant to this matter and make diplomatic efforts in a timely manner in order to prevent the US military from intervening in the South China Sea. He said: The feelings of the countries around the South China Sea are rather contradictory over the US military's return to the South China Sea -while they know that the US military presence will intensify the tensions in the region, they hope to benefit from their cooperation with the United States.

Attempting to Station Troops in Central Asia to Threaten China and Russia

At the same time, the United States is attempting to reverse its geopolitical disadvantage in central Asia and, through strengthening its military presence in the central Asia region, to balance the influences of China and Russia. Although the Kyrgyzstani authorities immediately denied this, an analysis of Russia held that it is not impossible for the report to become a reality. The US military has a plan to station troops in central Asia on a long-term basis, which will pose a serious threat to the security of China and Russia.

Source: Wen Wei Po website, Hong Kong, in Chinese 25 Aug 10