Chinese Air Force Begins Regular Combat Patrol of South China Sea
Posted: July 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: air combat patrol, China, Chinese air force, H-6K bomber, Huangyan Island, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea 5 Comments
Chinese H-6K strategic bomber patrols Scarborough Shoal. Photo: Chinese air force
Chinese H-6K strategic bomber patrols South China Sea. Photo: Chinese air force
Chinese H-6K strategic bomber patrols South China Sea. Photo: Chinese air force
Chinese H-6K strategic bombers patrol South China Sea. Photo: Chinese air force
China does not set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea like it has done in the East China Sea due to its dispute with Japan over the sovereignty of the Diaoyus (known as Senkakus in Japan) as the US does not take sides in the dispute.
The situation in the South China Sea is much more serious. The US supported the Philippines to get an arbitration ruling that denies China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea. In addition, it has urged China to respect such a ruling. As a result, establishment of an ADIZ to require others to inform China of their entries into the ADIZ is far from enough.
Taiwan has sent a warship to patrol its exclusive economic zone around its Taiping Island that the ruling has denied as it regards Taiping as a rock instead of an island.
China certainly has to do something more serious. Instead of the establishment of an ADIZ, Chinese air force has begun routine combat patrol of South China Sea since July 17.
I had a post on July 17 on Chinese air force publishing the photo of a Chinese H-6K strategic bomber patrolling the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. I point out in my post that in the photo, the island below the bomber is the Scarborough Shoal. However, I did not know at that time that the H-6K bomber was carrying out a routine combat patrol.
The next day, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesman of Chinese air force, announced in Beijing that Chinese air force had recently organized warplanes to conduct routine combat patrol of the South China Sea for imminent missions and real war preparations. The patrol fleet consists of H-6K bombers, fighter jets, reconnaissance aircrafts, aerial tankers, etc. Their major manners of patrol include aerial reconnaissance, confrontational air battle, patrol of islands and reefs, etc.
Senior Colonel Shen says that the combat patrol aims at promoting profound development of real war training, enhancing real war capabilities to deal with various security threats and safeguarding China’s sovereignty and security.
Source: mil.huanqiu.com “Air force bombers patrol quite a few islands and reefs in the South China Sea” (summary by Chan Kai Yee based on the report in Chinese)
Tiananmen's Tremendous Achievements 
The timing is not right for China to establish an ADIZ anyway. Those engineered islands are not completed, inadequate defence and fortification. In a war scenario, the islands will be blown to bits. An ADIZ would cause problems for China with unnecessary wastage of resources. An air fleet patrol with the newly constructed island airstrip is feasible and will enhance China’s defence of its sovereignty. But, the US has a set back without support of ASEAN for the arbitral farcical award which has already been regarded as illegal and abusing of international law.
China’s bottom line are its documented historical claims and sovereignty, therefore will not give up an inch to the Ali Baba thieves of the SCS. We have to wait and see what US will do next in regard to China’s air and naval patrol.
LikeLike
The Americans and its lacky the Phillipines don’t even have the support of the UN or UNCLOS despite the PCA trying to misrepresent it by illegal means.
LikeLike
Since the illegal invasion of Vietnam and using PH as an extended military base to bomb the Vietnamese, both these culprits have become regular PISS.HEADS.
LikeLike
‘regular PISS.HEADS.’
LikeLike
Apologies, the word I used was deleted……I did check the dictionary first, it means ‘Drunkard or someone who regularly drinks a lot of alcohol.’ but apparently not accepted. Sorry.
LikeLike