Taiwan’s foreign minister said Wednesday (April 7) that if China attacks Taiwan, Taiwan will fight to the end. He also said that the United States also sees the possibility of China committing a forceful attack on Taiwan.
We have the will to defend ourselves, there is no doubt about that,” Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-sup said during a meeting with foreign media at the Foreign Ministry. If there is a need to fight, we will fight. If self-defense is needed until the last day, we will defend ourselves until the last day.”
Wu added that U.S. policymakers “clearly see the danger of a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan.”
Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, testified before the U.S. Congress last month that the military threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan by force is imminent and significant. Admiral Philip Davidson, the current commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific, also testified before Congress in March that he believes China could attack Taiwan by force within the next six years.
China has been increasing its military incursions into Taiwan recently, frequently sending military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. On Wednesday, 15 Chinese military aircraft intruded into Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone.
The Chinese military announced Monday (April 5) that the Liaoning aircraft carrier formation’s training in the waters around Taiwan was a routine training program for the Chinese navy, but said it would organize similar exercises on a regular basis as planned.
And the U.S. Navy confirmed Tuesday (April 6) that the USS Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group (TRCSG) re-entered the South China Sea on April 4 to conduct routine operations.
In a statement, the U.S. Navy said the USS Roosevelt carrier battle group will conduct maritime strike exercises, anti-submarine warfare, tactical coordination training and other activities in the South China Sea.
The U.S., for its part, is sending warships through the Taiwan Strait on a routine basis at a time of cross-strait tensions. According to Reuters, the destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) “routinely” passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday. The ship’s passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement. U.S. forces will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.”
This is the second time this year that the destroyer USS McCain has passed through the Taiwan Strait.
As one of Taiwan’s key international supporters, the U.S. has been helping Taiwan strengthen its military capabilities. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States provides Taiwan with the amount of defense materiel and defense services needed to enable it to maintain adequate self-defense capabilities.
Over the past year, the U.S. has announced several arms sales to Taiwan, including advanced military equipment such as unmanned maritime patrol aircraft missiles, artillery, sensors and “field information and communication systems. Taiwan’s air force also said a week ago it decided to buy an upgraded version of Lockheed Martin’s Patriot surface-to-air missile to improve its air defense capabilities to counter the growing threat from China.
Wu said Taiwan will increase military spending and is determined to strengthen its own military capabilities. It is our responsibility to defend Taiwan,” he said. We will do everything we can to improve our defense capabilities.”
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Ren Guojang had previously responded to the forceful violation of Taiwan. He said Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan issue is an internal matter of China and does not allow foreign interference.
He added: “We firmly oppose the U.S. side’s rendering of the so-called ‘Chinese military threat’. The U.S. side should abandon zero-sum thinking, look objectively and rationally at China’s development and national defense construction, and do more things that are conducive to mutual trust between China and the U.S. and regional peace and stability.”
Also on Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that it will hold “Han-Guang exercises” in April and July of this year. The exercises will focus on “preserving combat power and effectively exercising combat power,” “strengthening joint sea control and denying the enemy from outside the country,” “enhancing homeland defense capabilities and blocking and destroying advancing enemy forces,” and “The Ministry of National Defense said in a press release that it is “integrating the total strength of the nation to support military operations” and “activating the backup mechanism to ensure the smooth flow of command and control.
The Ministry of Defense said in a press release that “the computerized military push will be conducted for 24 consecutive hours each day from April 23 to 30 in a ‘composite military chess drill'” and that the actual military exercise will be conducted from July 12 to 16, when it will “execution of the joint defense operations of the three armies live military maneuvers”.
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