US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 6 that the Chinese administration should stop “provocative” military exercises near Taiwan, which is “dangerous” and at risk of miscalculation.
“The actions we have seen in China can be provocative and unstable,” Blinken told Bloomberg Television in Paris. “What I want is to stop these actions because there is always the potential for miscalculations and misunderstandings, which are dangerous,” he said.
Beijing has stepped up its military aggression on the autonomous islands, which has been trying to claim sovereignty for decades.
Since October 1, the anniversary of the inauguration of the Chinese Communist Party, it has flown through China’s air defense identification zone for five consecutive days, with 56 aircraft recorded in one day on Monday. The campaign dispatched 150 military flights from Beijing.
“Provocative behavior is going in the wrong direction, and it’s very important not to take unilateral behavior that forces the status quo,” says Blinken.
“We really need to see China stop some of the actions taken, because they are potentially a source of instability, not stability,” he adds. rice field.
Blinken said at a press conference in Paris that day that the United States “will continue to deepen its ties with democratic Taiwan.”
“The United States has a solid commitment to Taiwan and has contributed to maintaining peace and stability throughout and within the Taiwan Strait for many years,” he told reporters.
Tensions between Taiwan and China sank to its worst in 40 years, Taiwan’s defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned Wednesday. As of October 5, the island recorded more than 600 Chinese aircraft in the air defense zone, for a total of 380 over the past year.
Mr Chiu said in a parliamentary commission hearing that the administration would be able to fully initiate its invasion of Taiwan within four years.
“For me as a soldier, the urgency is right in front of me,” he said.
White House spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday that one of the subjects covered in a meeting with President Joe Biden’s Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 9 was Taiwan. .. Mr Biden said he reiterated the US determination to uphold the Taiwan Relations Act, a 1979 federal law that defines US policy to maintain informal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
At a press conference two days ago, Saki vowed to help Taiwan “maintain sufficient self-defense.” Like Blinken, she criticized Beijing for compromising regional stability, saying that US officials personally “delivered a clear message through diplomatic channels.”
Over the weekend, the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan sent four aircraft carriers together in a joint six-country training in the Philippine Sea.
Taiwan has proposed an additional $ 8.69 billion in defense spending to upgrade its weapons. This said the Defense Minister needed “in the face of a serious threat” from Beijing.
President Tsai Ing-wen of the island said democratic Taiwan would have “catastrophic” consequences if it fell into the hands of communist China.
“Taiwan is at the forefront of a global contest between liberal democracy and authoritarianism,” Tsai wrote in a foreign magazine on October 5.
If Taiwan collapses, she says, “it shows that authoritarianism dominates democracy in today’s global conflict of values,” she said, and Taiwan defends democracy and lifestyle. “I will do whatever I need,” he added.
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Eva Fu is a New York-based writer of The Epoch Times, focusing on Sino-US relations, religious freedom, and human rights.