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China is to potentially purchase even more Russian Su-35 fighter jets, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told TASS.
“We are expecting a response from China on our offer to purchase modern weapons and military equipment manufactured in Russia, including additional batches of Su-35 fighter jets,” the service said.
China was also the first country to purchase the Su-35, the contract was signed back in 2015 for the delivery of 24 jets worth approximately $2.5 billion.
All of those 24 jets have been successfully delivered.
A Chinese military television channel, Weihutang, also reported that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army may purchase more Su-35 to replace older aircraft.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese air defense expert, told the Global Times that while China could indeed buy more Su-35s, they are not meant to replace older Chinese jets because the Russian aircraft is too expensive and China has too many old jets. The replacement will most likely be done by domestically made warplanes, he said.
“Rather the possibly purchase of more Su-35 would be to make the Chinese Air Force’s logistical support for the warplane fleet more efficient as there would be more spare parts and dedicated personnel, Fu said, noting that economic and political factors might also play a part in the potential deal due to China and Russia’s close relations, and a Chinese purchase would help boost Russia’s aviation industry,” the Global Times reported.
This completed purchase was marked by the first ever use of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) angered both Moscow and Beijing, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang arguing at the time that Washington “seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations and seriously damaged the relations between the two countries and the two militaries.”
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to do even more business, but no in USD to avoid the effects of these sanctions.
Separately, the Chinese People’s Liberation Navy closed off a part of the South China Sea to conduct anti-ship missile tests.
CNBC cited anonymous US defense officials, who claimed that a series of anti-ship ballistic missile tests were conducted over a five-day period concluding on July 3rd.
As reported by the Business Insider:
“For ballistic-missile tests, Chinese authorities typically issue Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) identifying “temporary danger areas,” Ankit Panda, senior editor at The Diplomat, explained. Such a NOTAM was issued for the period between June 30 and July 1, marking off two locations in the South China Sea.
hinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in 2015.U.S. Navy / Reuters file
Beijing previously moved land-based anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), such as the YJ-62 and YJ-12B, to Chinese-occupied territories in the region, a move the US condemned.”
However, it remains unclear what missiles were being tested.
The area surrounding the Spratly Islands which was closed off is highly disputed, between China and Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, all of whom claim the area belongs to their territory.
A Pentagon spokesperson commented on the missile tests, saying they were disturbing.
“Of course, the Pentagon was aware of the Chinese missile launch from the man-made structures in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said.
“I’m not going to speak on behalf of all the sovereign nations in the region, but I’m sure they agree that the PRC’s behaviour is contrary to its claim to want to bring peace to the region and obviously actions like this are coercive acts meant to intimidate other (South China Sea) claimants,” Eastburn added.
The US Pentagon is also concerned whether Cambodia is planning to offer hosting a Chinese military contingent.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Joseph Felter made the suggestion in a frank letter last month to Cambodia’s Minister for National Defense Tea Banh.
He demanded to know whether the Cambodian Defense Ministry had backtracked on a US offer to restore buildings at the base of in Preah Sihanouk province on Cambodia’s southwest coast. The area has received massive Chinese investment in recentyears.
Felter said funds for the upgrade were approved in April. In June, however, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry told its American counterpart the upgrades were “no longer necessary”.
“I would greatly appreciate a more detailed explanation for why these repairs — which your staff requested — are no longer necessary as well as your future plans for these U.S.-funded facilities,” Felter wrote.
“The notification letter of 6 June 2019 has been sent throughout the U.S. government and is fueling speculation that this sudden change of policy could indicate larger plans for changes at Ream Naval Base, particularly ones that involve hosting Chinese military assets,” the letter said.
“We have provided significant support and assistance to the Cambodian military over the past 28 years and hope to continue to be able to work together in areas of common interest.”
There is no official confirmation of whether there would be any increasing Chinese military presence in Cambodia, but it would not be surprising, since relations between the two countries have been becoming much closer in recent years.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for more than 30 years, has moved increasingly close to Beijing in recent years, securing billions of dollars for infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Naturally, the West has condemned the improvement of relations with China, due to “democratic backsliding.”
Amid the protests in Hong Kong, the People’s Liberation Army conducted an exercise on June 26th.
The PLA Daily said on its verified account on the Weibo platform that the joint exercise on June 26 – which involved ground forces, the navy and the air force – were aimed at “reviewing and raising the units’ combat abilities in emergency dispatches”.
Between July 3rd and 17th, Chinese and German militaries will hold a joint exercise on medical support.
The exercise will be based on the joint operation of medical support teams from the two militaries in international humanitarian medical rescue missions and will focus on tasks including joint command, rescue and disease control.
The People’s Liberation Army appears to be ramping up its efforts in terms of modernization, as well as preparedness.
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