The four-day visit of a Vietnamese patrol vessel to the Philippines began on 4 August. The purpose of this visit is to conduct joint exercises in the waters of the South China Sea. It is worth stressing once again that the water area is one of the most vulnerable zones in the entire geopolitical space. Moreover, it is on its territory that the current stage of the “Great World Game” is being played out.

The arrival of the Vietnamese patrol vessel CSB 8020 in Manila

At first glance, such an event might not seem worthy of media attention because the main protagonists are not the most important countries. However, the location of the event is the South China Sea, which is currently a real arena for large-scale military demonstrations. This type of event involves aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, aircraft and ground forces. In one way or another, both the world media and our online magazine (“New Eastern Outlook”) are interested in what is happening. Let’s start with the military equipment, or more precisely, the warship that everyone is talking about. As it turned out, the CSB 8020 is the former USCGC Morgenthau (Hamilton class) with a displacement of 3250 tonnes. The ship was built in 1969 and served until 2017. It was then sold to Vietnam. An interesting fact is that this ship took part in some operations during the Vietnam War.

It is noteworthy that the sale and purchase of a warship of this class, which took place between recent enemies, is the most real symbolism, a sign of metamorphosis and the beginning of a radical reformatting of the world order. Who would have thought that the day would come when the US Secretary of Defence would be received in Hanoi (with all the military honours)?

At the moment, relations between countries that project the same type of state structure are escalating, and in the future this conflict may take on a large-scale armed character. The reason for the conflict is the factor of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

A more detailed........

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