Article Author:
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — China It will use military force to bring an autonomous Taiwan under its control as it threatens Chinese military exercises that have raised inter-faction tensions to their highest level in years.
A statement issued by the Cabinet's Taiwan Secretariat and its News Division said nearly a week into the missile launches and incursions into Taiwan's waters and airspace by Chinese warships and air force aircraft. continued.
This action disrupted flights and transportation in a region critical to global supply chains and sparked strong condemnation from the United States, Japan and others.
China's statement , said Beijing seeks "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan but "has not pledged to renounce the use of military force and retains all necessary options."
In additional responses, China said it had cut off dialogue with Taiwan's main military and political backer, the United States, on issues ranging from maritime security to climate change.
China says the threatening moves were sparked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last week, but Taiwan says such visits are routine. Yes, and China says it used it as a mere pretext.
Taiwan's foreign minister warned Tuesday that China's military drills reflected its ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific, underscoring Taipei's readiness to defend itself.
Beijing's strategy included controlling the East and South China Seas via the Taiwan Strait and imposing blockades to protect the United States and its allies in the event of an attack. from supporting Taiwan, Joseph Wu said at a press conference in Taipei.
Beijing has extended the ongoing exercise without announcing when it will end.
Taiwan split with the mainland during her 1949 civil war, and Taiwan's 23 million population overwhelmingly opposed political unification with China. independent but wishing to maintain close economic ties and the de facto status quo.
Through its operations, China may be moving closer to Taiwan's borders, establishing a new normal that will ultimately control access to the island's ports and airspace.
The United States, Taipei's main supporter, has also shown its willingness to confront the Chinese threat. Washington, in honor of Beijing, does not enter into formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but legally mandates that the island be able to defend itself and treat all threats to Taiwan as a matter of serious concern.
This leaves open the question of whether Washington would send troops if China attacked Taiwan. U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the U.S. has an obligation to do so, but staff members quickly retracted those comments.
Beyond Geopolitical Risks, the Importance of Global Trade An escalating crisis in the Taiwan Strait, a major thoroughfare, could have a major impact on international supply chains at a time when the world is already facing turmoil and uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic and war in Ukraine. .
Taiwan, in particular, is an important provider of computer chips to the global economy, including China's high-tech sector.
With training, Taiwan has put its forces on alert, but has so far refrained from taking aggressive countermeasures.
On Tuesday, its troops conducted live-fire drills in Pingtung county on the southeast coast.
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