A spate of Chinese military flights off Taiwan in recent days has prompted alarm from the island, which Beijing claims as its own, and is increasing tensions in a region already on edge.
The Associated Press
President Xi Jinping, also commander of the People’s Liberation Army, has overseen the construction of military facilities on man-made islands in the South China Sea meant to extend China's territorial waters, and stated that bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control cannot be left to the next generation.
To that end, the U.S. regularly holds exercises in the region with multiple allies, including a recent one involving 17 ships from six countries that took place northeast of Taiwan off the Japanese island of Okinawa at the same time as the Chinese flights south of Taiwan. Last month before the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. President Joe Biden did not mention China by name but emphasized that the U.S. would “stand up for our allies and our friends and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones.”Taiwan is chiefly concerned with shoring up its de facto independent status while maintaining economic links with China and avoiding a military clash.
The decision was seen as a doubling down on the Australia-U.S. alliance at a time when China is pressuring Australia with tariffs and import bans. Beijing slammed the deal, under which the U.S. and U.K. will help Australia construct at least eight submarines, calling it “highly irresponsible" and saying it would “seriously damage regional peace and stability.”
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