On Sunday, the United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, reprimanded China for its potentially threatening moves against Taiwan. The top diplomat told NBC’s Meet the Press that the US continues to stand by its defence commitment to Taiwan and will ensure that the island country can defend itself.
“What we’ve seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits… All I can tell you is, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force,” Blinken responded. When asked to clarify if that meant the US would respond to Chinese aggression with military force, Blinken dodged the question and would not “get into hypotheticals”. He, however, reiterated, “We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments.”
US-China tensions have been running high. Last week, both powers clashed after the US warship, USS John S McCain, passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, provoking a curt response from China. Col. Zhang Chunhui, the spokesperson for China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, said that the action by Washington “jeopardized the regional stability” of the 110-mile strait, which is regarded as an international waterway. He also added that Chinese forces would respond with “strict precautions and vigilance”.
The White House responded to the allegations on Friday by saying that it was keeping a close watch on increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait, and in return, called Beijing’s recent actions “potentially destabilising”. “We have ... clearly - publicly, privately - expressed our concerns, our growing concerns, about China’s aggression toward Taiwan…we’ve seen a concerning increase in PRC military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which we believe is potentially destabilising,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when asked if the US was concerned about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Only last Friday, the US State Department issued new guidelines for US government interaction with its Taiwanese counterparts. According to the statement issued by the Department, the new guidelines “liberalise guidance on contacts with Taiwan, consistent with our (the US’) unofficial relations, and provide clarity throughout the Executive Branch on effective implementation of our (the US’) “one China” policy.”
The future of Taiwan has been a matter of great concern in the international community, with China stepping up its military preparedness near Taiwan’s waters and aerial incursions into the latter’s airspace. The US has previously warned China on several occasions against attacking Taiwan while accepting that that there was a lot of ambiguity about how it would respond in such a situation.
Under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, which forms the basis for Washington’s relationship with Taipei, the US is required to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Accordingly, the US State Department approved the potential sale of advanced weapons to Taiwan worth approximately $1.8 billion last October and has also encouraged Taiwan to significantly increase its defence expenditure in order to effectively counter military threats from Beijing.
“What we’ve seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits… All I can tell you is, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force,” Blinken responded. When asked to clarify if that meant the US would respond to Chinese aggression with military force, Blinken dodged the question and would not “get into hypotheticals”. He, however, reiterated, “We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments.”
US-China tensions have been running high. Last week, both powers clashed after the US warship, USS John S McCain, passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, provoking a curt response from China. Col. Zhang Chunhui, the spokesperson for China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, said that the action by Washington “jeopardized the regional stability” of the 110-mile strait, which is regarded as an international waterway. He also added that Chinese forces would respond with “strict precautions and vigilance”.
The White House responded to the allegations on Friday by saying that it was keeping a close watch on increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait, and in return, called Beijing’s recent actions “potentially destabilising”. “We have ... clearly - publicly, privately - expressed our concerns, our growing concerns, about China’s aggression toward Taiwan…we’ve seen a concerning increase in PRC military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which we believe is potentially destabilising,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when asked if the US was concerned about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Only last Friday, the US State Department issued new guidelines for US government interaction with its Taiwanese counterparts. According to the statement issued by the Department, the new guidelines “liberalise guidance on contacts with Taiwan, consistent with our (the US’) unofficial relations, and provide clarity throughout the Executive Branch on effective implementation of our (the US’) “one China” policy.”
The future of Taiwan has been a matter of great concern in the international community, with China stepping up its military preparedness near Taiwan’s waters and aerial incursions into the latter’s airspace. The US has previously warned China on several occasions against attacking Taiwan while accepting that that there was a lot of ambiguity about how it would respond in such a situation.
Under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, which forms the basis for Washington’s relationship with Taipei, the US is required to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Accordingly, the US State Department approved the potential sale of advanced weapons to Taiwan worth approximately $1.8 billion last October and has also encouraged Taiwan to significantly increase its defence expenditure in order to effectively counter military threats from Beijing.