Dubbed “aircraft carrier killers,” China showcased two of its latest ballistic missiles during its National Day on October 1. In an eight-part documentary aired on China Central Television, the nation exhibited its Dongfeng, or DF, nuclear-capable weapons in honor of the 73rd anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Defense experts say the documentary is intended as a deterrence tactic.

“Showcasing Dongfeng series strategic weapons is a subtle warning to the United States, which is instigating other countries to put pressure on Beijing over the Taiwan issue, as the fierce Ukraine war also poses a dilemma for China,” said former People’s Liberation Army instructor Song Zhongping. The aircraft carrier killers can keep U.S. carriers out of waters claimed by China due to their precise targeting, Song warned.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2021 report on China’s military, “[t]he multi-role DF-26 is designed to rapidly swap conventional and nuclear warheads and is capable of conducting precision land-attack and anti-ship strikes in the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea from mainland China.” The report also states that the DF-21 is “specifically designed to hold adversary aircraft carriers at risk when located within 1,500 km of China’s coast.” These anti-ship missiles could inhibit strategic deployments.

In October 2021, satellite images were released of China’s Taklamakan Desert showing military testing targets of what appeared to be replicas of U.S. aircraft carriers. Geospatial intelligence company AllSource Analysis said that based on studies of older satellite images, the desert has been used in the past as a ballistic missile testing ground. “The mock-ups of several probable U.S. warships, along with other warships (mounted on rails and mobile), could simulate targets related to seeking/target acquisition testing,” said AllSource Analysis. “This, and the extensive detail of the mock-ups, including the placement of multiple sensors on and around the vessel targets, it is probable that this area is intended for multiple uses over time.”

The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers and regularly deploys about one to three carriers into the Pacific at a time. In December 2021, the Navy’s 7th Fleet Adm. Karl Thomas said America needed to deploy more carriers into the Indo-Pacific to combat Chinese and Russian efforts to dominate the region. He said the U.S. needs to “deter aggression from some of these nations that are showing burgeoning strength” and let them know that “today is not the day” for conflict in the Pacific.

China’s latest missiles could complicate any such plans.

In July, the Trumpet wrote that China’s military exercises in the South China Sea “should be viewed as practice for the day when these and other weapons are turned against America’s efforts to keep the South China Sea free and open.”

The Trumpet has made this bold claim for years because it is prophesied in the Bible. Isaiah 23 is a prophecy of a “mart of nations” composed of European and Asian powers. In verse 1, “Tyre” refers to modern Europe and the “land of Chittim” refers to China. Verse 3 says this “mart,” or trade union, will gain its “revenue” by “great waters” and the “harvest of the river.” It will have great control over the sea and will likely dominate economically vital sea gates and shipping routes. Nowhere in this prophecy does it mention America benefiting from this union. This trade alliance will actually harm the United States.

In a 2016 article titled “China Is Steering the World Toward War,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote:

The Bible contains many prophecies of [a] European power attacking America. This is where China and the other giants of Asia enter the picture. Considering that China now possesses most of the world’s strategic sea gates (at one time held by Britain and America), the German-led Holy Roman Empire will need to form a brief alliance with the Asian powers identified in Isaiah 23 (Russia, China, Japan—the “kings of the east”).

If Europe finds a way to take advantage of key resources and strategic holdings of China, Russia and Japan—even for a short period—then it would have more than enough power to besiege the Anglo-Saxon nations.

This is why China’s moves to militarize the South China Sea should be so concerning.

The United States and Britain are going to be left out in the cold as two gigantic trade blocs, Europe and Asia, mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce. These nations of Israel are going to be literally besieged—economically frozen out of world trade!

Eventually China’s efforts to deter America from the South China Sea and the surrounding Pacific will be successful. China’s new anti-ship ballistic missiles could further decrease America’s will to stand up against aggression.

For more information on how China will cause America to retreat from the Indo-Pacific, please read Mr. Flurry’s article “China Is Steering the World Toward War.”