Mainland media thinks US want to take SCS disputed man made islands from China if China invade Taiwan.
Possible, since in a Taiwan scenario, the bulk of the PLAN would be kept close to Taiwan to support the invasion.
Any US moves against SCS islands will be seen as a feint intending to draw PLAN and PLAAF assets away from Taiwan to allow the USN main force an easier time to try to do enough damage to make an invasion non-viable, so they will probably allow the US to take the Spratly islands since they are so far away; but the Paracel islands will be easily defended given its close proximity to the mainland. B their priority would be Taiwan, and because those islands are liabilities rather than assets if you don’t have the support needed to properly defend them.
The SCS islands are only the death traps that they are in Chinese hands because of the overwhelming might the PLAN and PLAAF can bring to support them.
In US hands, they will be lonely outposts on the other side of the world far from any support and well within Chinese weapons range.
The Chinese would also scuttle all equipment before allowing the islands to be captured, as well as US bombardment prior to invasion would make those islands worthless as the forward sensor assets they are for China without extensive repair and refit, which the US will not have the resources or time to do before China is done with Taiwan and can redeploy its forces to retake the Spratly islands.
Move over, any US military action against China’s SCS islands would put the two in an effective state of war. That means all US bases and assets in the rest of Asia is free game. Without the USN to support them, most would be bombed out craters within days and of no further military value for the duration of the conflict.
Basically, China would love it if the US wasted it’s time trying to land grab in the SCS instead of engaging their main forces directly over Taiwan. Because that will only guarantee Chinese success in Taiwan with minimal losses while also being able to easily roll back US gains in the SCS once Taiwan has been secured.