China's SCS Strategy Thread

[Gatekeeper]

To China, this is about as “in your face” as you can get. It is bound to respond in like manner. Hold on to your hat.

It's going to get a lot more "in your face with their very junior member arriving in Singapore today

British aircraft carrier visits Singapore

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British aircraft carrier visits Singapore​

By George Allison - July 26, 2021

HMS Queen Elizabeth and elements of her Carrier Strike Group have arrived in Singapore.




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[watt]

It's going to get a lot more "in your face with their very junior member arriving in Singapore today

British aircraft carrier visits Singapore

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British aircraft carrier visits Singapore​

By George Allison - July 26, 2021

HMS Queen Elizabeth and elements of her Carrier Strike Group have arrived in Singapore.

View attachment 75224


Link:

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Wasn't there an outbreak of COVID on the carrier?
Seems irresponsible to continue the deployment. The sailors might spread COVID in Singapore if they allow R&R.

 

[Team Blue]

Well, at least my briefings will get more interesting than "X vessel is here after being over here"

On the other hand though, I'd rather avoid interesting times in the first place

 

[SampanViking]

There are just two things I think worth mentioning here
1) If the HMS Queen Elizabeth (do you know that the other British Carrier is called the Prince of Wales? It is and for some reason they did not choose it for this voyage ) and its entourage do indeed venture into claimed Chinese Territorial Waters, the ships to look out for will be the Ocean Going Sand Dredgers).
2) I do not see the South China Sea as a Front in its own right, but that its main purpose to serve as a flank in any possible conflict over the Island of Taiwan. I would make a similar argument over the East China Sea as well.

 

[james smith esq]

Delete​

 

[james smith esq]

There are just two things I think worth mentioning here
1) If the HMS Queen Elizabeth (do you know that the other British Carrier is called the Prince of Wales? It is and for some reason they did not choose it for this voyage ) and its entourage do indeed venture into claimed Chinese Territorial Waters, the ships to look out for will be the Ocean Going Sand Dredgers).
2) I do not see the South China Sea as a Front in its own right, but that its main purpose to serve as a flank in any possible conflict over the Island of Taiwan. I would make a similar argument over the East China Sea as well.

Isn’t the SCS, tho’, the only theatre, presently, in which PLAN can achieve significant strategic depth (and, therefore, why it was chosen as the primary SSBN base option)?

The Ryukus/Taiwan geographical constraints inhibit such depth in the ECS leaving the SCS as, I believe, the preferred option for developing strategic depth in PLAN operations.

 

[james smith esq]

Man, man, man, why couldn’t the PLAN have scheduled a multi-national exercise in the SCS with Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and NK while the Imperialists’ fleet is in theatre???

 

[SampanViking]

Isn’t the SCS, tho’, the only theatre, presently, in which PLAN can achieve significant strategic depth (and, therefore, why it was chosen as the primary SSBN base option)?

The Ryukus/Taiwan geographical constraints inhibit such depth in the ECS leaving the SCS as, I believe, the preferred option for developing strategic depth in PLAN operations.

Strategic Depth certainly, but strategic for what.? Nuclear deterrence is a separate thing, Strategically the possession of the SCS only becomes relevant in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. By holding it, it means that external forces are channeled to move in from one main axis only, which is through the Philippine Sea. Any attempt for outside forces to move through the SCS can be engaged and held at bay, a great distance from Taiwan making their ability to assist minimal.
Likewise by holding the SCS, China has the ability to make an early flanking move into the Phillippine and all the faster isolate the Island and enforce the inevitable total exclusion zone which would be declared.

 

[james smith esq]

Strategic Depth certainly, but strategic for what.? Nuclear deterrence is a separate thing, Strategically the possession of the SCS only becomes relevant in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. By holding it, it means that external forces are channeled to move in from one main axis only, which is through the Philippine Sea. Any attempt for outside forces to move through the SCS can be engaged and held at bay, a great distance from Taiwan making their ability to assist minimal.
Likewise by holding the SCS, China has the ability to make an early flanking move into the Phillippine and all the faster isolate the Island and enforce the inevitable total exclusion zone which would be declared.

Simple, strategic-depth for whatever contingencies might arise in the SE Asian theatre (and for the Bastion Strategy). The Five (near-sighted) Eyes certainly have intentions of stirring-up trouble in the region, and wherever they can.

I’m not Chinese, so I don’t pretend to understand (and some may consider me ineligible to even comment). However, the single-minded focus on Taiwan seems myopic, both geographically and temporally, to me.

 

[davidau]

It's going to get a lot more "in your face with their very junior member arriving in Singapore today

British aircraft carrier visits Singapore

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

British aircraft carrier visits Singapore​

By George Allison - July 26, 2021

HMS Queen Elizabeth and elements of her Carrier Strike Group have arrived in Singapore.

View attachment 75224


Link:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The British could not even make a heavy lift crane for building this aircarfat carrier, they have to buy it from China. What hope have they got, except subserviant to, and to please, the US master.