On October 26, two U.S. aircraft crashed in the South China Sea, sending a signal to various countries!

At local time on the afternoon of October 26, in the South China Sea, the U.S. "Nimitz" aircraft carrier suffered two consecutive military aircraft crash incidents within half an hour.

At 14:45, a MH-60R "Seahawk" helicopter crashed into the sea while carrying out a routine mission. At 15:15, an F/A-18F carrier-based fighter jet also crashed shortly after taking off from the aircraft carrier. The interval between the two accidents was less than an hour. What exactly happened?

Although all five crew members were rescued, the reliability and strength of the U.S. military's operations in the Asia-Pacific region have been cast into a huge question mark. The U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet issued a statement confirming that both accidents occurred on the Nimitz aircraft carrier, which was conducting so-called "routine missions" in the South China Sea at the time.

The timing of this incident could not be more delicate — just a few days later, the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting will be held in South Korea. According to reports, multiple APEC member economies have confirmed their attendance at this meeting.

The United States had originally planned to use the APEC platform to continue promoting its Asia-Pacific strategy, but these two incidents in the South China Sea undoubtedly sent a signal to the participating countries: the U.S. military strength is indeed declining, and its ability to maintain regional military presence is being questioned.

The waves of the South China Sea cannot mask the sound of metal hitting the sea surface, just as diplomatic rhetoric at the APEC summit cannot conceal the reality of countries re-evaluating the balance of power in the region.

As the U.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier slowly sailed with the wreckage of two aircraft, the representatives from various countries attending the APEC summit in South Korea had already noted it in their minds: this is a superpower whose strength is declining.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847097039572103/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.