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The US military has expressed Newsweek his criticism of a Hollywood-style video of the Chinese armed forces portraying an airstrike on a critical American airbase, calling the video part of a strategy to instill fear and expand Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region .
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force launched a spectacular promotion over the weekend showcasing its H-6K strategic bomber, which was seen on the Sina Weibo social media site conducting a simulated attack on an unnamed military base that appears identical to the Google Maps satellite image of the Andersen Air Force Base of the United States Air Force in Guam. The facility is critical to America’s projection of power in the region, and the description of its destruction was met with contempt by China’s main rival.
Pacific Air Forces, the main U.S. command tasked with operating in the skies of more than half the planet, said Newsweek it was “aware of the video posted by the EPL” in a statement censoring the clip.
“It is yet another example of their use of propaganda in an attempt to coerce and intimidate the region,” the statement said. “Maintaining the safety of our personnel and resources, as well as our regional allies and partners, is of the utmost importance and we remain committed to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific for all nations.”
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But for some social media users, the destruction of Andersen Air Base was not the most controversial segment of the recent Chinese PLAAF clip, titled “The God of War H-6K Goes on the Attack!”
Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army
Eagle-eyed Sina Weibo users saw explosion scenes taken from popular US action movies like The Rock, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and The Hurt Locker in the description of the Chinese PLAAF base bombing. These scenes were filmed in San Francisco, New Mexico, and the country of Jordan, respectively.
However, the clear reference to Andersen Air Force Base came amid growing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China.
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Strategically located in the US territory of Guam, in the Pacific, Andersen Air Force Base is capable of providing permanent service to powerful Air Force assets such as B-1B, B-2 and B-52 bombers. The 16-year continuous deployment of these aircraft to the island ended in April to fuel the Pentagon’s push for “operational unpredictability.”
Four B-1B fighter jets returned earlier this month for joint training with their counterparts from Japan, which, along with Australia and India, forms the US-led “free and open Indo-Pacific” regional posture against China.
Andersen Air Force Base has previously been featured in the official media of American enemies. North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong was seen studying maps of the facility as he threatened to send missiles there amid a surge in tensions between Washington and Pyongyang in 2017.
Today, the base participates in the Brave Shield exercise, which the Pentagon says will “help US forces develop regional and global power projection capabilities by integrating warfare concepts that provide a full range of options to succeed in the defense of American interests and those of his country. ” allies and partners around the world. “
The United States has been increasingly active in Asia-Pacific in recent years. Operations have been particularly focused on the South China Sea, a vast resource-rich region largely claimed by China, which has established multiple island bases capable of servicing the H-6K bomber and other aircraft.
Nearby Taiwan has also attracted significant attention as relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorate further. China claims the autonomous island as part of its sovereign territory, but the United States continues to supply equipment to its autonomous armed forces and foster informal ties with its government.
The recent visit of the United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, Keith Krach, to Taiwan provoked a huge reaction from Chinese diplomats and military officials late last week. Over the weekend, China unleashed a wave of military exercises in the strait that separates the island from the mainland.
Pentagon spokesman John Supple said Newsweek at the time when the Chinese army’s movements were “aggressive and destabilizing reactions”, accusing China of “using its armed forces as a tool of coercion with Taiwan and other neighbors.”
Liu Jieyi, director of the Chinese government’s Office of Taiwan Affairs, warned against US meddling during a press conference Wednesday at a trade fair in Tianjin.
“The separatist forces of ‘Taiwan independence’ are perversely joining with outside forces, creating a cross-strait confrontation and obstructing exchanges and cooperation between compatriots on both sides of the strait,” Liu said, accusing the political forces in Taiwan and its foreign backers to create instability.
“Taiwan’s independence” is a dead end, “he added.” It is hoped that most of Taiwan’s compatriots can see through their nature of harming Taiwan and stop their plans for ‘Taiwan independence’. “
Staff Sergeant Nicolas Z. Erwin / 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs / US Air Force
But as the US military continues to operate in the disputed area, the Beijing-based South China Sea Survey Initiative is watching their every move.
The monitor recently accused the Air Force of falsifying aircraft transponder signals to mask their military nature as they flew off the coast of China. In one case earlier this month, an RC-135W spy plane was said to mimic a Malaysian airliner while flying over the South China Sea. In another incident Tuesday, an RC-135S appeared to operate over the Yellow Sea with a code assigned by the Philippines.
The Pacific Air Force did not confirm or deny the practice as a matter of protocol, but maintained that it followed the rules.
“The United States Air Force is committed to the use of international airspace in accordance with international law,” the military command said. Newsweek. “As a matter of policy, we do not normally discuss our tactics, techniques, or procedures used by US Air Force aircraft due to safety requirements.”
The US military remains committed to ensuring freedom of movement in the region, the Pacific Air Forces said.
“The United States Air Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the command said, “and will continue to fly in international airspace with due respect for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under the law. international”.
