US sends a warning message as China increases pressure against Taiwan

By Jayvee Vallejera

As tension between the United States and China continues to worsen, the U.S. appears to be positioning itself to create a chokepoint on Beijing’s ambition to advance into the Pacific by sending two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship in the region.

In a statement released today, the State Department urged Beijing to "cease military pressures against Taiwan."

"China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily," said Thomas Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson.

The State Department's statement was in response to the communist nation's launch of missiles and deployment of dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.

"We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue," Pigott said. "The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion."

The U.S. military's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its fleet of destroyers (USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy) had just come from Guam and are now stationed in the Philippine Sea in the western Pacific Ocean, apparently in a bid to deter potential hostile Chinese actions.

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group joins another nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the forward-deployed USS George Washington, which is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, which is in the East China Sea, to present a three-force shield near China.

U.S. military officials explain their presence in the Indo-Pacific region as part of regular operations, planned military exercises and scheduled deployments.

According to the official statement, the USS Abraham Lincoln, as the leader of its strike group, is doing routine operations as part of the U.S. Navy’s ongoing commitment to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.

A U.S. Naval Base Guam statement on its Facebook page says the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment “to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Guam is the United States’ closest point to Asia, making it an ideal refueling hub and logistics and command hub for U.S. forces in the region.

Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, commander of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, is quoted as saying that visits to strategic ports like Guam “strengthen our operational readiness and allow us to remain prepared to execute maritime operations in the theater.”

Military analysts believe, though, that the presence of two carrier strike groups in the Indo-Pacific, plus the flurry of movements of other U.S. military assets within the region, make it highly likely that the U.S. is sending a warning message to China.

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group sailed from San Diego in California last November and dropped anchor on Guam on Dec. 11. The vessels stayed in Guam for just a day and left the island on Dec. 12. The carrier group then sailed to the Philippine Sea where it is now stationed.

The Japan-based USS George Washington just returned to its home port in December after completing its regular patrol of the region.

The USS Tripoli is not as large as an aircraft carrier but can deploy up to 2,200 Marines and serve as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or an amphibious ready group, says news site 19fortyfive.com. Tripoli left California in May last year and is now homeported in Japan.

Military analysts look at these movements as a signal to deter Chinese aggression.

“It is likely no coincidence that two carrier strike groups are in the region as tensions with China continue to increase. Their presence is likely designed to project a position of strength in the region as China seeks to challenge the U.S. Navy,” said a 19fortyfive.com article.

The presence of other U.S. naval units in the region appears to support this. Besides the USS Tripoli’s presence in the East China Sea for training exercises, many of the U.S. Navy’s fast attack submarines recently made port calls in Japan, South Korea and Guam, supposedly as part of routine deployments, resupply runs and for rest and recreation activities.

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China views these moves as provocations, prompting it to mobilize its own naval forces. News reports indicate that Chinese aircraft carriers and other naval vessels have also been operating in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea, underscoring escalating tensions in the region.

China has also been building its naval power with new warships, aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines equipped with advanced features that equal or rival American technologies.

The 19fortyfive.com article says China has also been investing significantly in what are being called “carrier killers”—long-range ballistic missiles designed to target American aircraft carriers. These missiles are reportedly capable of flying and hitting targets up to 4,000 kilometers away, including Guam.

Despite the increasingly hostile rhetoric and military posturing, the prevailing view among observers is that it is still too early for a full-scale war to break out. The presence of two American carrier strike groups in the region may deter the Chinese for now. 

“The offensive capabilities of both groups are currently too risky for China to mess with, and a broader conflict between the U.S. and China is not in either side’s interest.  In the future, however, if China decides to go to war, it will take much more than two carrier strike groups to deter it,” said the 19fortyfive.com article.

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