The White House pledged to maintain its military capacity in Taiwan in response to an escalation of Chinese aggression in the region.
During the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum in Singapore over the weekend, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin accused China’s army of acting aggressively towards Taiwan, exclaiming that America is prepared to preserve military support in the country. According to Austin, China’s military has been conducting provocative aerial and naval manoeuvres in the Indo-Pacific area, particularly near Taiwan.
“We’ve witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,” Austin said. “That includes PLA aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months.” As a result, he stressed that Washington will fulfill its duties under the Taiwan Relations Act, which includes “maintaining our own capacity to resist any use of force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security or the social or economic system of the people of Taiwan,”he added.
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In addition, Austin said the US will strengthen cooperation with its allies including Japan, Australia and India, as well adhere to the Aukus security pact signed alongside the UK and Australia. Washington also plans to share more research and development to ensure its allies in the Indo-Pacific have adequate resources to combat Chinese aggression as well as boost military training and exercise drills. Austin also mentioned that the US Coast Guard will increase its presence in the region.
China fired back in response to Austin’s pledges, accusing the US of attempting to incite a second Cold War in Taiwan. “The US has already messed up Europe and the Middle East, do they now also want to mess up Asia? We will absolutely not allow that,” said deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China’s Central Military Commission Lieutenant General Zhang Zhenzhong as cited by the Financial Times. “The true intention of the US is to use this to maintain their hegemonic system. They are trying to create small circles by roping in some countries.”
Information for this briefing was found via the Financial Times. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
