China is on a war footing. From Taiwan to the South China Sea to the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, China’s military is now making itself a permanent, visible component of the world stage.
And their military doesn’t look like a tin-pot, hardscrabble flotilla. It’s a real, modern force that is supported by the world’s greatest industrial juggernaut. Specifically, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is building a world-class submarine force to counter U.S. forces currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific.
For all the talk about China attacking Taiwan, there is only intermittent discussion about the greater issue of control over the South China Sea between the Philippines, a U.S. ally, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Presently, China is set to dominate this essential body of water. Of course, the Philippines is doing its best to counter the Chinese military buildup there—as are the Americans. But for every successful standoff with China, the Chinese keep coming back in greater numbers, with more sophisticated systems.
That’s because, if Beijing’s forces are to either blockade and/or invade neighboring Taiwan, the Chinese military must control the South China Sea—and prevent the U.S. from using it to deploy forces against a Chinese force attacking Taiwan.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that an entirely new class of attack submarines are under construction in Wuhan, China, that is likely meant to challenge the presence of US-made Typhon missile systems in the Philippines.
Last April, the then-Biden administration deployed the Typhon missile system to the Philippines. Originally, it was framed as a temporary move by President Joe Biden to take part with the Salaknib 2024 joint military exercises conducted alongside the Philippines. Although, once the drills ended, the Typhon system remained in the Philippines.
In September 2024, both the U.S. and Philippine governments agreed to keep the system in place permanently. This was billed as a response to what has been years of Chinese military buildup and aggression directed at the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Typhon missile system is based at the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte, a strategic spot facing the South China Sea near the Taiwan Strait, although some reports indicate it has been moved to a more survivable location in Luzon.
