The US is increasing aerial surveillance over the
South China Sea to a record level as relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorate and fears grow for the safety of Taiwan.
Spy planes from the US navy, air force and army are involved in an apparent three-pronged drive to track Chinese submarines and monitor activity by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which has redoubled training for operations aimed at Taiwan. In Beijing, procurement documents from the China State Shipbuilding Corporation have revealed plans to build an amphibious assault ship ideal for island invasion.
China has long considered Taiwan a breakaway province to be brought back under its control, by force if necessary, while the US has a pact with the island to ensure that it has hardware and technology it needs to defend itself.
Tensions between the two superpowers have heightened in recent days, with tit-for-tat
closures of consulates.
The development comes as New Zealand has announced the suspension of its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in the wake of China’s decision to implement its strict national security law on the territory. “New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China,” Winston Peters, the foreign affairs minister, said.
“If China in future shows adherence to the one country, two systems framework then we could reconsider this decision.” New Zealand follows Australia, Canada and the UK, which have also halted their extradition treaties.
As many as 50 US military patrols have been carried out this month involving a range of surveillance and signals intelligence aircraft, according to a think tank in Beijing.
The Pentagon describes such missions as “routine patrols in international airspace” but there is evidence that the number has been significantly stepped up, particularly in the strategic Bashi Channel, south of Taiwan.
The Chinese air force has also been active in recent weeks over the channel, which runs from the southern end of Taiwan to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. China has been increasing the pressure on Taiwan, launching military exercises involving amphibious warfare operations.
The US sent six reconnaissance aircraft and two refuelling tankers to the Bashi Channel this month, according to the South China Sea Probing Initiative, a think tank linked to Peking University. It said a US air force RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft was seen entering Taiwan airspace yesterday.
A US navy EP-3E Orion reconnaissance aircraft, thought to be based in Okinawa, was also spotted yesterday flying within 60 miles of Guangdon province, which borders Hong Kong. US navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft have been part of the patrols monitoring the Bashi Channel and the South China Sea for PLA navy submarine movements.
The surveillance patrols over the South China Sea have also involved the US army’s RC-12X Guardrail signals intelligence aircraft, used for snooping on enemy communications.
The heightened US surveillance missions have coincided with an official statement by Washington rejecting Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea. The statement by Mike Pompeo, secretary of state, was the first time the US had taken sides in the long-running regional dispute over the ownership of the islands. The Australian government also declared that China’s claims were unlawful.