‘ROK-US drill conducted to deter China,’ says Chinese media

Chinese state media reported that the ROK-U.S. combined military exercise-Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) is the U.S. strategy that aims to keep China in check which will raise tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.” Ahead of the ROK-U.S. military drill, China expanded its military exercise near the Taiwan Strait to include the Shandong Peninsula and Bohai Bay which are geographically close to the Korean peninsula. As China-U.S. ties have become more confrontational, not only North Korea but also China is conducting a military exercise targeting or directly denouncing the drill.

The Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper, reported on Monday that the purpose of the UFS is to flex Washington's muscle in the Asia-Pacific region and to demonstrate its military presence in the region and to deter China.”

According to the Global Times, the ties between the U.S. and China hit a new low after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid a provocative visit to the island of Taiwan and the military drills would escalate tensions in the Korean Peninsula, which have always been regarded as a ‘powder keg’ in the Asia-Pacific region, and the development of the situation in the peninsula would affect the peace and stability of Northeast Asia and even all of Asia." The newspaper added that during the drills, the U.S. is likely to deploy more strategic weapons, such as aircraft carriers and strategic bombers, China needs to be vigilant on this.

“If chaos breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, it will also pose a threat to China's national security. China will not sit idly by," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times. “The drills will inevitably attract the attention of Japan, and I cannot rule out the possibility that Japan could be involved in the ROK-US military exercises in the future. The U.S. is making efforts in building a trilateral military alliance.”


Ki-Yong Kim kky@donga.com