We have seen enough tension between China and Taiwan this year. Let’s pray that this move comes to nothing.
From The Wall Street Journal. China’s People’s Liberation Army dispatched a swarm of jet fighters and other military aircraft on sorties near Taiwan on Sunday in a move that Beijing said was a response to provocation by Washington and Taipei.
A total of 71 Chinese warplanes were detected flying in the region surrounding Taiwan, with a few dozen crossing the median line of the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. The ministry also said it detected seven Chinese naval vessels in waters near Taiwan on Sunday.
On Monday, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command released footage on China’s Weibo social-media platform showing several jet fighters taking off and Navy officers carrying out reconnaissance duties. A Chinese military spokesman said in an online statement that Sunday’s joint combat readiness patrol and live-firing drill was a response to “escalating collusion and provocation by the U.S. and Taiwan,” though he didn’t elaborate.
The Biden administration and Taiwan’s government separately criticized China’s military maneuvers, which the White House’s National Security Council called provocative. The Chinese action “is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,” the NSC said.
The action and rhetoric underscore Taiwan’s role as a longstanding source of tension in U.S.-China ties that complicates efforts by both powers to manage their fractious relations. President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed last month at their first in-person meeting to try to stabilize relations, with senior officials set to resume contacts. …
Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China and has vowed to take control of the island, by force if necessary, while Washington is committed under U.S. law to assist Taiwan in maintaining its defenses. …
In response to Beijing’s latest military move, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the flurry of activity revealed again Beijing’s use of force to resolve differences. It said that the collaboration between Washington and Taipei contributes to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region and that it will continue to strengthen its military preparedness. …
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(Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal. Photo Credit: Yan Ke on Unsplash)