Four Chinese naval ships approached the Strait of Beirut, only 135 kilometers from the U.S. mainland. In the face of such a maritime squadron, the U.S. reaction was unexpected: no high-talk, no deportation, no military threat, no diplomatic protest, only sending a long-distance patrol ship accompanied by observation, eventually ending with silence.
The Russian media commented on this: "In the world, only China can shut up the United States." This is not a deliberate rendering, but a direct description of the current situation of Sino-US sea power reconstruction.
Demonstration of ocean-going strength of 10,000-ton formation
The Chinese naval formation that appeared in the Bering Strait this time can be called "ocean elite". Its core strength includes the Type 055 destroyer "Lhasa", which is known as the "Asian Shield". This ship with a displacement of over 10,000 tons is equipped with a 112-unit universal vertical launch system, which is compatible with various types of missiles such as air defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine, and has powerful fire assault and regional defense capabilities.
There are also two Type 052D guided missile destroyers, Kaifeng and Yantai, in the formation. As the main destroyer in active service of the Chinese Navy, the Type 052D is equipped with an advanced phased array radar system and a 64-unit vertical launcher. It has all-round battlefield perception and multi-dimensional strike capabilities. Its mature ocean-going cruise performance has been verified in many international missions.
The supply ship "Hoh Xil Lake" provides key logistical support for the entire formation. Its fuel, fresh water and material reserves can meet the formation's ocean-going deployment needs of being far away from its home port for a long time and not relying on third-country bases.
From the technical configuration and operational system point of view, this fleet can completely independently complete a complete long-haul military presence demonstration, especially the 055 jet itself with "offshore seizure" "offshore suppression" as the core design objective, this time appearing in the sensitive waters, is not a simple "routine navigation".
American Restriction
In addition to sending patrol ships for long-range observation, the U.S. military officials said lowly that the Chinese fleet’s navigation “was not in violation of international maritime law” and “did not pose a substantial threat to U.S. national security”.
The US military's silence does not stem from "indifference" but from "no choice." The logic of action of the China fleet this time is completely consistent with the "free navigation" that the United States has promoted in global waters over the years-Carry out navigation activities in accordance with the law in the high seas and waters.
This puts the United States in a situation where it is difficult to retreat, and if it protests against it, it is not the same as denying that it has adhered to its policy proposals for many years, it will instantly fall into diplomatic passivity; if it takes a tough response, such as mobilizing aircraft carrier combat groups or aircraft deterrence, it is equivalent to publicly acknowledging that its own security is seriously threatened, not only will it trigger domestic public opinion to question "indigenous defense vulnerabilities", but will also undermine its credibility in allied systems.
This embarrassment of "say no, say no" forced the United States to choose the most stable and relentless silence, but the tension in the operation has long exposed its true mentality, the U.S. military Northern Command silently strengthened the radar surveillance frequency in the waters of Alaska, and the air reconnaissance framework in the relevant regions also increased significantly.
In fact, the activities of Chinese scientific research forces in the region have caused the U.S. side to be highly alert, before the arrival of the naval crew, several Chinese polar scientific research vessels have been operating in the waters north of Alaska.According to Hong Kong's "South China Morning News" report, during the 15th Northern Ice Ocean scientific research, China's "Shirong 2", "Polar" and other scientific research vessels sailed to the sea area at 77.5 degrees north latitude, "Shirong" manned diving completed the first human-seated diving in the Arctic ice zone, and realized underwater collaboration with the unmanned submarine, collecting 183 biological samples and large amounts of sediment, sea water samples.
Although these scientific research activities do not carry weapons, but are conducting a key "information war", polar waters deep water data, ocean flow distribution, underwater geological structure and other information, directly related to strategic issues such as submarine hidden deployment, deep sea communication security and even Arctic resource delimitation.
The loosening of the US defense line
The United States has long been warned of tension in the direction of the North Pacific. In 2023, China and Russia jointly organized a fleet of 11 warships to cross the Aleutian Islands and enter the North Pacific. At that time, the U.S. military dispatched four ships for a close confrontation, and publicly expressed "dissatisfaction and condemnation" internationally, trying to curb the joint action of China and Russia through a tough stance.
But this resistance did not work, and since then China and Russia's joint strategy in the North Pacific and Arctic circle has been continuously strengthened, whether China's separately organized shipyards or China-Russia's joint cruise activities have gradually become the norm.
In terms of geographical and military deployment, the waters of Alaska were the weak link of U.S. maritime defense, the region has a bad climate, year-on-year ice and snow, high logistics supply costs, and a large range of radar detection blind zones.
This inability to do so has been directly reflected in the US budget adjustment. The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 clearly increases military spending in the direction of Alaska, focusing on upgrading missile early warning systems, expanding long-range supply bases, and strengthening shore-based radar stations. The core goal of these measures is to repair defense loopholes in the North Pacific and deal with China's increasingly frequent ocean-going activities.
Strategic shift
Behind the Chinese navy's approach to the Bering Strait this time is a profound change in the overall strategic positioning. For a long time before, in the face of the frequent activities of the US fleet in the surrounding waters, China mostly responded by "tracking and monitoring + diplomatic response". Limited by ship performance and ocean support capability, the real presence in the open sea is relatively limited, and the scope of strategic projection has not yet formed a global layout.
Today, this situation has completely changed, with the mass assembly of advanced vessels such as Type 055, Type 052D, and the continuous improvement of the ocean supply system, the Chinese Navy has a hardware base for "going deep blue". this team operation is not "hidden touching trials", nor "hostile provocations", but according to international rules, the light is present in the open sea, with practical actions to prove its ocean capabilities and legitimate rights.
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This capability has formed a normalized global layout, from the normalized cruise in the South China Sea, to the escort of the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, and to the strategic appearance of the North Pacific, the activity trajectory of the Chinese Navy has covered key global waters, truly achieving the transition from "near-sea defense" to "far-sea guard".
Comments in the Russian media accurately pointed out the nature of this change: "The United States once treated all countries close to its coastline like bandits, but this time, it did not do anything or make a sound. It is not that the United States does not want to move, but that it knows that China is not easy to mess with." For decades, the United States has been accustomed to using force to respond to "uninvited guests" at its doorstep, but this method has failed in the face of China, which has equal strength.
This action of the Chinese fleet was not accompanied by a war of words or deliberately created friction. It only completed a strategic display with a standardized and normalized voyage. However, the deterrent power behind this calm has made the internal alarm bell in the United States loud, and its silent response is essentially a passive acceptance of reality.
This conflict-free "encounter" is more like a preview of the global sea power pattern. The Chinese fleet arrived at the doorstep of the United States smoothly, breaking the inertial perception that "the offshore waters of the United States are dominated by the United States" with compliant actions.
This is not a struggle for hegemony, but a declaration that the rules of the global ocean should not be defined by a single country. The reasonable demands and strengths of more countries are promoting the development of the sea power pattern in a more balanced direction.
Text source:
China's Scientific Examination Ship is headed north of Alaska, sparking U.S. attention, Global Times:
http://m.toutiao.com/group/7558500041187476009/?upstream_biz=doubao2. Eleven ships of the Chinese and Russian navies jointly patrol the Aleutian Islands. CCTV News:
https://news.cctv.com/2023/09/20/ARTI3oWzH2VxQa7XqVvu8aX230920.shtml3. The Type 055 destroyer Lhasa carries out actual combat training in the open sea. China Military Network:
http://www.81.cn/jfjbmap/content/2024-08/15/content_310777.htm4. The U.S. Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 focuses on Arctic defense. Reference news:
https://www.cankaoxiaoxi.com/mil/20250608/2418811.shtml