The United States has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan after sending warplanes from China near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the US resolution.
BEIJING – The US has reaffirmed support for Taiwan after sending warplanes from China near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the US resolution.
The State Department said on Saturday that it “notes with concern the pattern of (China’s) ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.”
“We demand that Beijing cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan and instead maintain a meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” spokesman Ned Price said in the statement.
Washington will continue to deepen ties with Taiwan and ensure its defense against Chinese threats, while supporting peaceful resolution of issues between the parties, according to the statement.
There was no immediate Chinese response on Sunday.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China on Saturday sent eight bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and four fighter jets into the airspace in the southwest of the island, which is part of a long-standing pattern. of Chinese incursions aimed at pressuring the government of President Tsai Ing-wen into caving. to Beijing’s demand to recognize Taiwan as part of Chinese territory.
The latest Chinese overflight came after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who stressed the island’s enduring position in the panoply of divisive issues between the parties that also include human rights, trade disputes and, more recently, questions about China’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Biden administration has shown little sign of easing pressure on China over these issues, although it is seen as favoring a return to more civil dialogue. In another sign of support for Taiwan, the island’s de facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was a guest at Biden’s inauguration.
And in a final blow against China, the Trump administration’s UN ambassador tweeted that the time has come for the world to oppose China’s efforts to exclude and isolate Taiwan, and received strong criticism from Beijing.
Ambassador Kelly Craft accompanied the tweet with a photo of her in the UN General Assembly hall, where the island is banned. He was carrying a handbag with a Taiwanese teddy bear coming out of the top, a gift from the Taiwanese representative in New York, Ambassador James Lee.
Taiwan and China split in the middle of the civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to put the island under its control by force if necessary. The United States changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but is legally obliged to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself and that the democratic island of self-government enjoys strong bipartisan support for Washington.
Tsai has tried to bolster the island’s defenses by buying billions of dollars in American weapons, including upgraded F-16 fighter jets, armed drones, rocket systems and Harpoon missiles capable of hitting both ships and targets. terrestrial. It has also boosted support for Taiwan’s indigenous arms industry, including the launch of a program to build new submarines to counter China’s ever-growing naval capabilities.
The increase in China’s threats comes as economic and political motivations bear little fruit, leading him to organize war games and send fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft almost daily to the island of 24 million people, located 160 kilometers southeast of China. coast across the Taiwan Strait.