China to start live-fire exercise as US hyper-militarizes the region
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The four-day drills will be launched on Monday as the PLA increases combat readiness.
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The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017 (AFP)
China will launch live-fire exercises next week in the Bohai Bay of the Hebei province, maritime authorities in Tangshan City said on Sunday.
The four-day drills will start on Monday and end on Thursday, July 14, during which the area will be shut down for naval vessels.
This comes as tensions grow in the South China Sea as the US escalates its military and political provocations against Beijing. Washington has also triggered a China-targeted hyper-weaponization in countries in the vicinity of the Asian giant.
Read more: US, Philippines start largest ever joint drills amid China tensions
But the US agenda in the region faces great challenges given China's complex trade relations with its neighboring countries, even those considered by the United States as close allies.
In a report by The Economist last month, the newsletter wrote that many nations are unwilling to economically break apart from China, despite growing US pressure on them. It added that many of the sectors that fuel their growth have supply chains that flow through China, and despite the connected ties, China's investment in their infrastructure is beneficial.
Adding further confirmation of the US weakened position, Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank reported earlier that America's influence inside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has dwindled in the last five years, while China's has increased.
Read more: US reveals simulation of 'direct clash' with China over Taiwan
The institution analyzed the two nations based on 42 metrics divided into four categories: economic links, defense networks, diplomatic influence, and cultural impact. They gave the two powers a total of 100 points based on how well they performed. In 2018, China had 52 points and the United States got 48. China will have 54 points by 2022.
According to the institute, America has lost the most influence in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and has gained only in Laos, where China still wields the most power (see chart). The Philippines and Singapore are the two countries where America's influence is equal to or greater than China's.
