TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan responded to a nearby operation by 34 Chinese warplanes and nine warships, part of Beijing’s strategy to disrupt and intimidate democracy on the autonomous island. scrambled the fighters, put the navy on alert, and activated the missile systems.
As Beijing ramps up preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has raised concerns among US military leaders, diplomats and elected officials, Taiwan’s key ally, China’s A large-scale deployment has taken place.
In a memo last month, U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan instructed officers to prepare for a U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan in 2025. As head of the Air Mobile Command, Minihan has a keen understanding of the Chinese military and his personal statements. In the United States, we are calling for increased preparedness.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that 20 Chinese aircraft crossed the central line of the Taiwan Strait.
China claims the island nation as its own territory and says it will seize it by force if necessary, but the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese people believe it will fall under the control of China’s authoritarian Communist Party. is opposed to
Taiwan’s defense ministry said Wednesday it was “monitoring the situation to respond to these activities.”
The announcement came as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that China’s growing assertiveness and cooperation with Russia pose a threat not only to Asia but also to Europe.
Stoltenberg, who visited Japan on Wednesday, said China was increasing its investment in nuclear weapons and long-range missiles without providing transparency or engaging in arms control talks. Stoltenberg has previously criticized China for “bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan” and stressed the need for Japan and other democracies to work with the alliance to protect the international order.
“NATO needs to make sure we have friends,” he said, noting China’s escalating attempts to coerce neighboring countries and threaten Taiwan. It is important that we work more closely with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region.”
read more: NATO chief calls for more ‘friends’ and closer ties in Indo-Pacific as bulwark against China and Russia
China’s foreign ministry has accused NATO of overstepping its mandate and “inciting threats from China”.
“China will always be a force for regional and global peace and stability,” foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing.
“I would like to emphasize that the Asia-Pacific is not a battlefield of geopolitical competition and does not welcome Cold War thinking or bloc rivalry,” Mao said.
Secretary of State Anthony Brinken, who will be the highest-ranking official to visit China since the 2020 presidential election of Joe Biden, was about to visit Beijing, but it was not clear what prompted China’s action on Taiwan. rice field.
Beijing has frequently tried to flag Taiwan as the most serious issue in US-China relations before top-level discussions, and then to discuss other economic, trade and political issues on which it has room for meaningful interaction. be connected.
China sends warships, bombers, fighters and support aircraft into the airspace near Taiwan almost every day, hoping to deplete the island’s limited defense resources and undermine support for pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen. I hope
Chinese fighter jets have also engaged U.S. and allied military aircraft in international airspace in the South and East China Seas, in what Beijing calls a dangerous and threatening operation.
In recent months, a series of visits to Taiwan by foreign politicians, including then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a number of European Union politicians, has spurred military displays on both sides.
In response to President Pelosi’s visit in August, China conducted military exercises around the island and launched missiles from above it into the Pacific Ocean.
China has repeatedly threatened to retaliate against countries seeking closer ties with Taiwan, but its attempts at intimidation have sparked public sentiment backlash in Europe, Japan, the United States and elsewhere.
Taiwan is set to hold presidential elections next year, in contrast to the Chinese system, which is dominated entirely by President and Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. China’s efforts to reach out to the United Nationalist Party in Taiwan have largely backfired.
The Kuomintang performed well in last year’s local elections, but its pro-Beijing policy failed to find resonance among voters at the national level.
In response to China’s threat, Taiwan has ordered defense weapons from the United States, leveraged its democracy and high-tech economy to strengthen diplomatic ties, and revitalized its domestic arms industry.
Mandatory military service for men has been extended from four months to one year, and polls show strong support for increased defense spending to counter China’s threat.
In an interview last month, Taiwan’s ambassador to the United States said Taiwan had learned an important lesson from Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Washington’s de facto Taiwanese ambassador, Bi-khim Hsiao, has taken a renewed interest in preparing military reserves and civilians for the kind of whole-of-society battle Ukrainians are waging against Russia. Emphasis is placed on
“All we are doing now is to prevent the pain and suffering of the Ukrainian tragedy from being repeated in Taiwan,” Xiao told the Associated Press. “So, ultimately, we try to deter the use of force. But we understand that worst-case scenarios require better preparation.”
look: US and Philippines agree to expand US military presence to deter China
