CNN: US sends advanced surface ship Zumwalt to East Asia
The US Navy (Navy) has sent the advanced surface ship Zumwalt to the western Pacific. It was reported Tuesday, September 27, by CNN.
It is noted that the Zumwalt is the first in a class of three multi-role guided-missile destroyers that “create a new level of combat complexity for potential adversaries”.
“The presence of the stealth warship will generate a lot of Chinese interest,” the channel quoted former US Navy captain Carl Schuster as saying.
It is also noted that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army navy cannot match the Zumwalt in size.
After calling at a port in Guam last week, the ship arrived in Japan on 26 September, said US Navy Seventh Fleet spokesman Lt Mark Langford.
According to an August report by the US Naval Institute, the channel noted, the ship will be upgraded next year to accommodate the Pentagon’s Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), a weapon system that uses a rocket engine to launch missiles at hypersonic speed.
On 21 September, China Central Television reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping had said that the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) was obliged to focus on preparing to engage in actual combat.
Currently, there have been strained relations between the US and China over the situation around Taiwan and military tensions in the region. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on September 20 that the beginning of a “new Cold War” between China and the US could turn into a disaster not only for the two countries but also for the rest of the world.
The day before, China issued a warning to the US and protested US President Joe Biden’s statement on Taiwan. The US leader then noted that the US was not encouraging Taiwan to become independent from the PRC, but the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a military conflict between the island and China.