{"id":248595,"date":"2025-02-28T08:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T08:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/chinas-military-puts-pacific-on-notice-as-u-s-priorities-shift\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T08:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T08:04:12","slug":"chinas-military-puts-pacific-on-notice-as-u-s-priorities-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/chinas-military-puts-pacific-on-notice-as-u-s-priorities-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/28\/multimedia\/28china-military-promo\/28china-military-clhj-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"China\u2019s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift\" title=\"China\u2019s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">China has in recent weeks staged military drills off Australia and Vietnam, sending pointed warnings near and far. Neither was a full-fledged exercise. But taken together, China\u2019s recent <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/disputed-scarborough-shoal-south-china-sea-4c0f7a2f62fb5ae4bfb9d8bc6bb3695b\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">shows of forc<\/a>e, experts said, conveyed a message: the region must not ignore Beijing\u2019s power and claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Three Chinese naval ships, including a cruiser with 112 missile tubes, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/australia\/chinese-ships-tasman-nz.html\" title=\"\">showed up<\/a> in the waters near Australia this month, only announcing plans to fire artillery for practice after the exercise had started. A few days later, on Monday, Chinese forces held live-fire drills in the Gulf of Tonkin, after Vietnam pressed its territorial claims in the gulf. Meanwhile, Chinese military aircraft buzz the skies near Taiwan <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mnd.gov.tw\/English\/PublishTable.aspx?types=Military%20News%20Update&amp;title=News%20Channel&amp;SelectStyle=Military%20News%20Update\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">almost daily<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While Washington is consumed with other matters, from Ukraine and the Middle East to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/us\/politics\/hegseth-military-cuts.html\" title=\"\">budget cuts at the Pentagon<\/a>, China keeps pressing. The exercises, while relatively brief, highlight that China\u2019s military reach is likely to keep growing, regardless of whether the Trump administration ultimately tries to confront China or pull it into some kind of deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The series of drills aimed to show scale and scope, \u201cshowcasing China\u2019s expanding naval capabilities and ability to project power across multiple theaters simultaneously,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iseas.edu.sg\/about-us\/researchers\/nguyen-khac-giang\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Nguyen Khac Giang<\/a>, a visiting fellow with the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe timing, with many in the Indo-Pacific region concerned about the U.S. commitments under President Donald Trump, is just perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The People\u2019s Liberation Army had been growing more active long before Mr. Trump took office, and China held far larger exercises <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/13\/world\/asia\/china-taiwan-war-games.html\" title=\"\">near Taiwan<\/a> last year. In its own sometimes ominous way, experts said, China is trying to persuade governments in the Asia-Pacific region that, like it or not, their future lies in accommodating Beijing. And that includes its claims to democratically governed Taiwan and over much of the South China Sea, which is disputed by Vietnam and other countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Beijing\u2019s message may gain more traction if American influence in the region ebbs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIn purely military terms, these actions \u2014 the live firing training or three ships in seas near Australia \u2014 don\u2019t have much significance,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/indsr.org.tw\/en\/member?resid=8&amp;uid=2&amp;pid=28\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Su Tzu-yun<\/a>, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, an organization in Taipei that is funded by Taiwan\u2019s ministry of defense. \u201cBut they can be seen as political signaling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/profile\/dan-blumenthal\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Dan Blumenthal<\/a>, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington who studies East Asian security, said that China\u2019s displays of military power should not be dismissed as mere theater. The displays matter because they are backed by a real and growing ability by China\u2019s leaders to raise the military stakes in disputes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe low-intensity war that China conducts daily only works if the threat to escalate conventionally is credible,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Asian governments have long turned to Washington to offset Chinese power in the region. But Mr. Trump has sent contradictory signals about whether he wants to contain or cooperate with Beijing \u2014 or, somehow, both. He <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/business\/economy\/trump-china-trade-deal.html\" title=\"\">has ideas for a big trade deal<\/a> with China\u2019s leader, Xi Jinping, and has sometimes spoken admiringly of Mr. Xi, but has also imposed <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/26\/us\/politics\/trump-china-crackdown.html\" title=\"\">additional tariffs and trade restrictions<\/a> on China, with more <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/27\/us\/politics\/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china.html\" title=\"\">set to come<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2025\/02\/19\/trump-pentagon-budget-cuts\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has called for big cuts<\/a> in American military spending across much of the globe so that the United States can concentrate on countering China in the Asia-Pacific. Yet it remains unclear whether and how that shift will happen. Mr. Trump has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20250208\/p2g\/00m\/0in\/027000c\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">also complained<\/a> that Asian countries spend too little on their defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration has not commented on the recent Chinese drills, and the White House has yet to spell out a broader plan for the region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Vietnam mostly fears being caught in a tidal wave of Trump tariffs after leaning closer to the United States on security in recent years. The country of 100 million people has sought to keep relations with the United States and China in balance. Vietnam did not respond strongly to the drills held in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, though they occurred a few days after Vietnam reinforced its rival territorial claims in the Gulf with what is known as a new baseline declaration. Experts said the drills were within China\u2019s maritime boundary, and seemed to be smaller than previous efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Like Vietnam, Australia has tried to maintain ties to both China, a major trade partner, and the United States, its primary ally for defense. After a thaw in relations with Beijing, which had shunned and punished Australia over political and diplomatic disputes, the arrival of three Chinese navy vessels struck much of Australia as a setback, if not outright intimidation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The warships were cruising in the Tasman Sea, without having previously declared the mission \u2014 according to Australian officials \u2014 as the top U.S. commander for the region, Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, finished a three-day trip to Australia. Earlier this month, Admiral Paparo <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pacforum.org\/publications\/adm-paparo-warns-of-growing-threats-in-the-indo-pacific-calls-for-urgent-action-at-honolulu-defense-forum-2025\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">warned that<\/a> American forces were ill-prepared for China\u2019s military buildup in the Asia-Pacific.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">China\u2019s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said the ships did not pose a threat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAs a major power in this region, as a country that has so many things to look after, it is normal for China to send their vessels to different parts of the region to conduct various kinds of activities,\u201d Ambassador Xiao said, in an <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-02-28\/chinese-ambassador-says-china-poses-no-threat-to-australia\/104992530\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">interview<\/a> with Australia\u2019s main public broadcaster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The warships were outside Australia\u2019s territorial waters, but they traveled within about 150 nautical miles of Sydney. Anxiety there grew after the Chinese naval ships <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-02-21\/chinese-warship-pilot-hazard-east-coast\/104966826\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said last week that they were holding live fire exercises<\/a>, and 49 commercial planes were forced to suddenly divert their routes to avoid the area. A New Zealand frigate <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-02-23\/chinese-warships-australian-coast-live-fire-drills-new-zealand\/104970682\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said it had spotted firing<\/a> from one of the Chinese warships on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">New Zealand\u2019s defense minister, Judith Collins, said the drills were the \u201cmost significant\u201d that region has seen from China. Australian officials said Beijing did not provide proper notice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The most acute uncertainties about the role of the United States in Asia are perhaps felt by Taiwan, which has for decades relied on Washington for military and political support and is regularly tested by Chinese military forces. In addition to the Chinese aircraft that flew near Taiwan this week, Taiwan\u2019s defense ministry said on Wednesday that Chinese ships had warned that they planned to hold live fire training to the south of the island. But the ships ultimately did not fire any weapons there, two Taiwanese security officials said, on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s recent actions, including turning against embattled Ukraine, have magnified anxieties among Taiwanese policymakers. Mr. Trump has also demanded that Taiwan dramatically increase its military spending, and this week he refused to say whether the United States would step in if China launched a war against Taiwan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI never comment on that. I don\u2019t comment on any \u2014 because I don\u2019t want to ever put myself in that position,\u201d Mr. Trump <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/remarks\/2025\/02\/remarks-by-president-trump-before-cabinet-meeting\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said in answer to a reporter\u2019s question<\/a> about stopping China from using force to take Taiwan. \u201cAnd if I said it, I certainly wouldn\u2019t be saying it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s unwillingness to comment on the defense of Taiwan echoed the calculated ambiguity of previous decades of U.S. policy, when administrations also avoided clearly committing to entering war over Taiwan. President Biden, however, had repeatedly said that Washington would intervene.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s administration includes longtime supporters of Taiwan, such as the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, but Mr. Trump may undercut their influence with his demands toward Taiwan and attention on bargaining with China\u2019s leader, Mr. Xi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After his comment on Taiwan, Mr. Trump said: \u201cBut I can tell you what, I have a great relationship with President Xi. I\u2019ve had a great relationship with him. We want them to come in and invest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Victoria Kim<!-- --> in Sydney, <!-- -->Amy Chang Chien<!-- --> in Taipei and <!-- -->Vivian Wang<!-- --> in Beijing contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/28\/world\/asia\/china-military-drills-pacific.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China has in recent weeks staged military drills off Australia and Vietnam, sending pointed warnings near and far. Neither was a full-fledged exercise. But taken together, China\u2019s recent shows of force, experts said, conveyed a message: the region must not ignore Beijing\u2019s power and claims. Three Chinese naval ships, including a cruiser with 112 missile [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/28\/multimedia\/28china-military-promo\/28china-military-clhj-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1386,168,7940,137233,172456,3096,2198,16901,7044,2238,165331,51304,4357,5516,172457,2251,221],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248595"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248595"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248597,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248595\/revisions\/248597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}