The closest distance is only 36 nautical miles! Intense standoffs occur in the outer seas of Zhejiang! US warships and aircraft approach Taizhou to the east by air and sea, but the next moment they encounter a humiliating scene.

According to "Defense News" media reports on May 28 local time, based on the AIS vessel positioning information system from May 22 to May 28, the US Navy's USS "William P. Lawrence" guided-missile destroyer departed from the eastern Pacific Ocean on May 23, passed through the Miyako Strait and sailed westward. During the period from 15:21 on May 24 to 20:11 on May 28, the ship frequently made return trips in the exclusive economic zone east of Zhejiang Province. During this period, the ship repeatedly approached within 36 to 55 nautical miles east of Taizhou, Wenzhou, and Ningbo in Zhejiang Province for close navigation activities.

Analysts pointed out that this is the first time in the past 20 months that the main combat ships of the US Navy have conducted frequent close approaches to coastal areas. Judging from the track map of the US warship's movements, it once intruded into waters about 36 nautical miles (approximately 67 kilometers) east of Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, at around 15:21 on the 24th. A single US warship approaching such sensitive waters near the territorial sea, and entering our contiguous zone multiple times, appears mainly for close reconnaissance navigation.

It is worth noting that during the period when the US missile destroyer was conducting close reconnaissance navigation, from May 27 to May 28, a US MQ-4C "Trident Sea God" strategic reconnaissance drone took off from the Kadena Air Base in the Ryukyu Islands and flew deep into the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. According to FLIGHTRADAR24 flight tracking systems, at 05:19 on the 28th, the aircraft was approximately 90 nautical miles east of Fuzhou.

On the morning of May 28, a US RC-135S "Cobra Ball" electronic intelligence collection aircraft took off from Kadena Air Base and flew northward, conducting close reconnaissance flights along the coast of Jiangsu Province and the Yellow Sea.

We see that with the recent large-scale multi-service maritime and air joint training organized by the navy, air force, and other forces in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and western Pacific Ocean, the US is also strengthening a series of close reconnaissance actions. The frequency of US warships and aircraft conducting close reconnaissance has significantly increased recently, the depth of close approach has become closer, and the duration of continuous reconnaissance has become longer, indicating that the level of focus and importance the US has on our maritime and aerial activities is continuously increasing.

However, while the US Navy is frequently organizing close reconnaissance activities, the "Liaoning" aircraft carrier strike group entered the western Pacific Ocean on the 27th, taking the initiative to turn the tables, completely disrupting the US military's deployment of close harassment operations. Not only did it force the US to contract its defensive lines and shift close reconnaissance forces to the western Pacific Ocean, but the warships lurking along the southeastern coast had to return to defend immediately. We can see that by the evening of the 28th, the US "William P. Lawrence" guided-missile destroyer had already begun evacuating the relevant waters. According to the AIS vessel positioning information system, while the US missile destroyer was evacuating, several vessels were accompanying and monitoring its movements. It is believed that the US warships must have felt immense pressure.

Figure 1: Track map of the US "William P. Lawrence" guided-missile destroyer.

Figure 2-3: Flight trajectory map of the US MQ-4C "Trident Sea God" strategic reconnaissance drone.

Figure 4: Flight trajectory map of the US RC-135S "Cobra Ball" electronic intelligence collection aircraft.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833419652043844/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views.