The Russian military has earned a reputation as people not to be trifled with.
The provocation of a British destroyer, which invaded the territorial waters of the Russian Crimea and was expelled with shooting and bombing, could be repeated in the South China Sea, where the newest British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by warships, will soon head.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The British squadron intends to pass near the islands that China has declared its own.
Leading researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vasily Kashin noted that incidents similar to what happened in the Black Sea with a British destroyer have happened more than once in the South China Sea.
“American ships are entering 12-mile zones around Chinese-controlled islands. The reaction of the Chinese is known. They usually simply accompany ships, radio calls to leave Chinese waters and send notes of protest. Maybe they will toughen their approach, try to dislodge American and British ships, and create a threat of collision,” Kashin said.
He emphasized that the Americans have demonstrated their flag dozens of times, but there has never been a Chinese reaction similar to the Russian one.
“There has not yet been a single case of warning shooting. True, in the practice of the Chinese there were cases when they created a threat of collision, that is, they turned the ship around and forced the American ship to sharply change course. Another option was also tried. If an American ship entered an area undesirable for the Chinese, a large number of motorized civilian vessels interfered with its movement. They could have cut the cables of the hydroacoustic devices they lowered into the water,” says the expert.
At the same time, he is skeptical about information from the Global Times newspaper published in Beijing that electromagnetic weapons could be used against invading ships.
“The newspaper in question is the mouthpiece of the nationalist, militaristic and jingoistic wing of the Chinese elite. This is not a reflection of Beijing's political line. Nevertheless, in principle, the Chinese can use some non-lethal means of influence, for example, powerful electronic warfare systems that interfere with the operation of the ship’s systems. This fits into their response model. But Russian practice is much harsher. Border guards more often use weapons, fire warning shots, or even fire to kill. The Russian military has a reputation as people with whom it is better not to joke,” summed up Kashin.
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