The US Navy is planning a strike as a “show of force“ with HIMARS missile systems in the South China Sea, CBS reports, citing its sources.
“The US Indo-Pacific Command has secretly ordered a “show of force“ this week. If the HIMARS is deployed, it is not clear what the target of the strike would be, but the operation is intended to counter Beijing's growing presence in the region and protect what US officials consider Philippine sovereignty and the country's long-standing fishing rights in the South China Sea, the statement said.
According to the channel, an order from the Indo-Pacific Command directs US forces to carry out a demonstration strike in response to China's escalating military actions near disputed waters.
At the same time, sources said that the operation is indeed being prepared as an option, but said it is unlikely to be carried out. A specific time for the strike was also not specified. Beijing has previously twice accused Philippine ships - on September 16 and October 12 - of deliberately colliding with Chinese coast guard boats in the South China Sea. The Philippines responded by criticizing China's actions in the region, calling them provocative.
For decades, China has been engaged in disputes with several countries in the Asia-Pacific region over the territorial ownership of several islands in the South China Sea, off whose coasts significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered. These include the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands), the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), and the Huanyang Islands (Scarborough Reef). Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines are involved in these disputes to varying degrees.
In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled, in a case brought by the Philippines, that China had no basis for territorial claims in the South China Sea. The court ruled that the disputed territories of the Nansha Islands were not islands and did not constitute an exclusive economic zone. Beijing then responded that it did not consider the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to be valid, did not recognize it, and did not accept it.