Beijing (AP) — Under President Joe Biden’s administration, U.S. military vessels and surveillance operations destined for China have increased significantly, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
As an example, Janice Wu said the Navy destroyer USS Mustin had recently made close-up observations of the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its fighters.
“It seriously disrupted training activities on the Chinese side and seriously threatened the navigation and personnel safety of both sides,” Wu said. He said the ship was warned to leave the port and a formal protest was filed with the United States.
Since Biden took office in January, US warship activity has increased by 20% and airplane activity has increased by 40% in areas claimed by China. At the same time last year, Wu said.
“The United States frequently dispatches ships and planes to operate in the waters and airspace near China, promoting the militarization of the region and threatening the peace and stability of the region,” Wu said in effect every month. Said in the briefing.
China routinely opposes the presence of US troops in the South China Sea. The South China Sea not only claims virtually as a whole, but also opposes the passage of naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait.
The country recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the death of a Chinese pilot in a collision between a US surveillance aircraft and a Chinese naval fighter near Hainan Province in China. He was called a hero who sacrificed himself to defend his country. The United States says the plane was in international airspace and the accident was the result of a reckless flight by the Chinese side.
Wu also blasted a move to strengthen Taiwan’s surveillance of Chinese aircraft movements. Taiwan is a democracy on an autonomous island that China claims as a dominion that is forcibly annexed as needed.
Mr Wu said the Taiwanese government’s efforts to stop what China calls inevitable unification are like “mantis trying to stop tanks.”
The United States maintains only informal relations with Taiwan in honor of Beijing, but legally mandates the island to provide defensive weapons and treat the threat to it as a matter of “serious concern.” Has been done. Increased activity by Chinese troops around Taiwan may be a clash raising concerns.
In an interview with Sky News in the United Kingdom, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu recently warned that military threats from China were spreading through “misinformation campaigns, hybrid warfare, and … gray zone activities.” Was repeated.
“And all of this seems to be preparing for their final military attack on Taiwan,” Wu told Sky.
“This is our country, this is our people, this is our way of life. We will protect ourselves to the end.”
Biden did not address such military threats in a parliamentary speech Wednesday night, instead emphasizing that China and others were “rapidly approaching” from an economic and technical point of view.
“We are competing with China and other countries to win the 21st century,” Biden said.