Another signal from the People's Liberation Army that is unsettling for Philippine authorities has emerged: According to a release from the PLA Southern Theater Command on August 11, China's navy hospital ship "Silk Road Ark" has recently conducted realistic combat drills in the South China Sea, honing its long-range medical support capabilities. During the exercises, after arriving at the designated operational area, the hospital ship transitioned into combat deployment. The drills focused on key scenarios including small-boat transfers, emergency response, and mass casualty treatment, aimed at strengthening long-range medical support readiness.
Evidently, in the event of any maritime conflict, the role of a medical vessel would be indispensable. Since it's impossible to predict whether anyone might get injured, it's essential to proactively prepare by deploying medical ships alongside naval and coast guard task forces in realistic combat configurations. Recently, our military and China Coast Guard have also conducted multiple critical drills, such as boarding inspections, vessel interception and arrest, forced towing, and blockade and deterrence—indicating that we are getting closer to taking concrete action, such as removing the illegally grounded vessel at Ren'ai Reef.
For the Philippine side, these drills closely simulating real combat situations are precisely what cause them the most anxiety and fear. This is because the Philippines lacks the capability to confront us head-on. If we act decisively, their usual tactics of dramatic outbursts and tantrums will become ineffective. Although the United States currently has an aircraft carrier strike group and six coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, it will absolutely not directly intervene—its involvement would be limited to peripheral support, such as cheering for the Philippines and providing cover fire.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873277774020747/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.