New analysis
Many defense ministers at the annual Asian Security Summit have spotlighted China’s repetitive cues to unify Taiwan by force.
Defense Ministers and diplomats from more than 40 countries attended Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialog, Asia’s most important security summit, held June 10-12.
At the meeting on June 12, China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe Claim China must achieve unity between Taiwan and the mainland.
The communist government “will spare no expense to counter war and interference from external forces,” he said.
Wei emphasized a similar determination when he previously met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on May 9.
China seems accustomed to proclaiming the possibility of war for years, but given the current situation, there is now more vigilance among nations.
Japan’s defense minister, Nobuo Kishi, expressed strong concern that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is unilaterally trying to use military force after meeting with Wei on June 12.
In response to recent joint aerial training by Chinese and Russian bombers across Japan, Mr. Kishi described them as “demonstrating power” against Japan.
US Defense Secretary Austin said on June 11 that the United States is adhering to one China policy, but is firmly opposed to “one-sided changes to the status quo by either side.”
Austin criticized CCP’s military activities near Taiwan as threatening the security of the region.
Following the tripartite meeting on June 10, Japan, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement focusing on the importance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned in a keynote speech at the forum on June 10 that “Ukraine today may become East Asia tomorrow,” pointing out the positive ambitions of the CCP in the Asia-Pacific region. He called for the maintenance of a “rule-based international order.” ..
He added that Japan needs to strengthen its military power to support the maritime security of Southeast Asian countries.
The Fumio Kishida administration has raised its defense budget to 2% of GDP. This is equivalent to NATO member countries. according to To France 24 on June 10th.
Fumio Kishida said in a visit to Britain last month that the Ukrainian War was an attempt by Russia to forcefully shake the foundations of the international order and called on 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific region to consider it their own business. ..
Recently, the CCP has frequently used force not only in verbal threats, but also in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Mars Said On June 12, the CCP is engaged in “the largest military buildup we have seen since the end of World War II.”
He said Australia will maintain defense spending to support regional security and stability under international rules.
Mars Said Bloomberg agreed with Kishida on June 13 to support a rule-based order established after World War II, stating that it supported economic growth in both Asia and Australia.
On May 26, an Australian maritime reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese fighter over the South China Sea. This is a move that the Australian side has been criticized as a “threatening act” by the Chinese army, the Asian Times. report June 7th.
On June 11, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein talks about regional tensions, fearing that if some of the recent incidents in the South China Sea get out of hand, they could be involved in a bigger conflict. Did.
June 6, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Blame Repeated interference by Chinese fighters against Canadian reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace near North Korea, as “provocative and irresponsible.”
Reconnaissance planes were assisting the United Nations in the region to monitor compliance with North Korea’s nuclear agreement.
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Jennifer Bateman is a news writer focused on China.