Source: Global Times - Global Times

[Global Times - Global Times reporter Guo Yuandan, Liu Xuanzun] As a loyal "follower" of Chinese military intelligence dynamics, the Japanese Ministry of Defense's Joint Staff Office released a statement on the 25th, stating that it had discovered for the first time a new type of comprehensive submarine rescue ship of the Chinese Navy. Military experts interviewed by the Global Times believe that the Japanese frequently use words like "first" to attract attention, which is essentially an operational method of Japan's cognitive warfare. The Chinese Navy's long-range training through the Tsushima Strait is reasonable, legal, and impeccable.

This message published on the official website of the Japanese Ministry of Defense shows that on the afternoon of the 24th, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed a Chinese Navy submarine rescue ship (hull number "841") sailing eastward in the sea about 330 kilometers west of the Oshima Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. This was the first time the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed this type of submarine rescue ship. Later, on the 25th, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force again confirmed that the ship sailed northeastward through the Tsushima Strait towards the Sea of Japan. The Japan Defense Ministry's Maritime Self-Defense Force deployed patrol aircraft to conduct surveillance and intelligence gathering work on it.

In addition, on the early morning of the 24th, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force discovered three Chinese Navy vessels in the sea about 90 kilometers west of the Oshima Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. Subsequently, these vessels sailed northeastward through the Tsushima Strait toward the Sea of Japan.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force recorded the ship with the hull number 841 as the new-generation submarine rescue ship, the West Lake ship. On May 15, the official WeChat account of the North Sea Fleet reported that recently, the naval West Lake ship left the dock and set sail to the Yellow Sea area for multi-subject, realistic comprehensive rescue drills. The crew tempered their rescue skills under complex sea conditions, effectively testing the unit's ability to perform missions at any time. The report further mentioned the exercise of the West Lake ship for rescuing a sunken submarine. The report introduced, "During continuous days of sea training, the ship's command post simulated a complex battlefield environment, focusing on anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, saving drowning personnel, and rescuing surface sunken ships, conducting multi-subject intensive training, highlighting practical combat training under complex sea conditions and unfamiliar areas, accumulating valuable experience for the unit to carry out emergency rescue missions."

Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times on the 25th that the submarine rescue ship mainly supports submarine activities. As the name suggests, when a submarine encounters a maritime disaster, the submarine rescue ship can provide support to the submarine. "This type of ship has a relatively deep diving depth, allowing it to provide emergency support to submarines," he said.

It is worth noting that in recent times, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has frequently released information about "first" occurrences of the Chinese Navy. On June 9, the Japanese Ministry of Defense "first" discovered the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning and Shandong sailing together in the Pacific Ocean. Earlier, the Japanese Ministry of Defense found the Liaoning sailing near the Minami-Tori-shima in the Pacific Ocean, which was labeled as "the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier entered this area."

But in fact, this is not the first time the submarine rescue ship has been discovered by Japan. In September 2017, a Chinese naval fleet composed of the missile destroyer Shijiazhuang, the missile frigate Daqing, the comprehensive replenishment ship Dongpinghu, and the submarine rescue ship Changdao passed through the Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan to participate in the second phase of the China-Russia "Maritime Cooperation-2017" military exercise. During this period, it was tracked and monitored by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Regarding the frequent use of the "first" hype by Japan to sensationalize the normal military training of the Chinese Navy, Zhang Junshe said that Japan often makes a big deal out of the normal training activities of the Chinese military, including long-range activities, using words like "first" to attract attention. "The fundamental purpose is to promote the 'China threat theory', create a sense of fear among the international community, make the international community mistakenly believe that the activities of the Chinese Navy are dangerous, and cause negative impacts in the region. This is entirely an operational method of Japan's cognitive warfare."

Zhang Junshe further stated that the comprehensive submarine rescue ship discovered by Japan is not the first time it has been publicly revealed, and the Chinese Navy's comprehensive submarine rescue ship has passed under Japan's nose multiple times into the Western Pacific. For example, the Chinese Navy's comprehensive submarine rescue ship has participated in the U.S. Navy's "Rim of the Pacific-2016" exercises, as well as the China-Russia "Maritime Cooperation" series of exercises, and has also carried out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden.

According to the introduction, the Tsushima Strait is located at the southwest end of the Japanese archipelago, approximately 222 kilometers long, with the narrowest point being about 41 kilometers. It is a crucial maritime passage from the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. This strait is a non-territorial strait, and ships and aircraft of all countries can exercise freedom of navigation and overflight, and military ships and aircraft can freely pass through. "The Chinese Navy's long-range training through the Tsushima Strait is reasonable, legal, and impeccable," Zhang Junshe said.

He also humorously described it, "On the other hand, Japan's tracking records of the Chinese military actually demonstrate the openness and transparency of the Chinese military. Japan's close tracking is a 'excellent archivist' of the changes in the development of the Chinese military."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7531188446434591271/

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