On Wednesday (April 7), the U.S. State Department warned of increasingly aggressive moves by the Chinese Communist Party against the Philippines and Taiwan, emphasizing the U.S. obligation to its partners. Pictured is U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price.
In recent times, Chinese fishing boats have been massing on controversial islands near the Philippines, much to the displeasure of Philippine authorities; Chinese military aircraft have been infesting Taiwan almost daily, and Chinese aircraft carriers have been conducting naval exercises in Taiwan. On Wednesday (April 7), the U.S. State Department warned of increasingly aggressive moves by the Chinese Communist Party toward the Philippines and Taiwan, stressing that the United States has obligations to its partners.
Cross-strait tensions are rising. The government of the Republic of China said Wednesday that the Chinese Communist Party sent 15 military aircraft, including 12 fighter jets, to encroach on Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
On Wednesday afternoon, State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed “concern” about the Chinese Communist Party’s intimidation campaign against Taiwan, saying the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid.
U.S. retains ability to resist any forceful action against Taiwan
Price cited the Taiwan Relations Act, under which the United States is obligated to provide Taiwan with defenses against the Chinese Communist Party.
“Under long-standing U.S. policy, as reflected in the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States retains the ability to resist any force or other coercive action that could endanger the security of the people, society, or economic system of Taiwan,” he said. He said.
Price also stressed that the U.S. will continue to work with allied partners to support the shared prosperity, security and values of the Indo-Pacific region, including the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-sup also said Wednesday that Taiwan would fight to the end if the Chinese Communist Party launched an attack. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced the same day that Taiwan will conduct the “Han Kwang exercise” to simulate an enemy attack.
The U.S. Navy said the destroyer USS John S. McCain made a “routine” transit through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, as the Chinese Communist Party sent more fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone and a Communist aircraft carrier group maneuvered near Taiwan.
“The ship’s passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. U.S. forces will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.” The U.S. Navy said in a statement.
U.S. State Department Concerned About Chinese Ships Rallying on Bull Yoke Reef
The Philippines previously said about 220 Chinese vessels were anchored in the waters around Bull Yoke Reef on March 7. The Philippine government believes the fishing boats are manned by militiamen and has filed a diplomatic protest against the “large and threatening build-up” of Chinese vessels.
On Wednesday, Price told reporters, “An armed attack against the Armed Forces of the Philippines, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would trigger our obligations under the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.”
Commenting on the People’s Republic of China (CCP), Price said, “We share the concerns of our ally, the Philippines, about the ongoing build-up of Chinese maritime militias near Niuyu Reef.”
For weeks, Chinese fishing boats have been massing around the disputed island and the CCP has been rejecting calls from the Philippine government to withdraw its vessels, which Manila says are illegally in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Since President Biden took office in January, the Chinese Communist Party has significantly stepped up its aggressive actions against Taiwan, the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan’s Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, said retired Navy Capt. Jim Fanell, a former Pacific Fleet intelligence director.
Fanell argued that while there is an element of the Chinese Communist Party’s actions that wants to test the Biden administration, the substantial threat it poses cannot be ignored.
“While some of this can be attributed to a test of the new U.S. administration, the scope and scale of Chinese Communist military activity within the first island chain is unprecedented,” said Vanell, adding that “if left unchecked and unchallenged, the potential for military confrontation is growing. “
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