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China has responded aggressively to a US Congressional visit to Taiwan by conducting military drills in nearby waters.
A task force of frigates, bombers and fighters manoeuvred near Taiwanese waters in a move the People’s Liberation Army said was intended to target the ‘wrong signals’ sent by the United States in its show of support for Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter – widely considered to be an attempted clone of the US’s F-35 jet – will start patrols of the South China Sea in a renewed effort to dominate the contested waters, with parts claimed by Indonesia, Malayisa, the Phillipines and Vietnam respectively.
‘This operation is in response to the recent frequent release of wrong signals by the United States on the Taiwan issue,’ People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command spokesman Shi Yilu said, without mentioning the visiting U.S. lawmakers.
‘The U.S. bad actions and tricks are completely futile and very dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves,’ he said.
The Chinese J-20 stealth fighter, above – widely considered to be an attempted clone of the US’s F-35 jet – will start patrols of the South China Sea
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen poses for a group photograph with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other U.S. delegation members, at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan
Xi Jinping has sent his new advanced J-20 stealth fighter to patrols contested waters in the South China Sea while ordering military exercises near Taiwan in order to intimidate the island nation which he is intent on conquering
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (right), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led a Congressional delegation to visit the island. He is greeted by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (left)
A task force of frigates, bombers and fighters manoeuvred near Taiwanese waters. Above: A Poeple’s Liberation Army-Navy Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dock vessel
The People’s Liberation Army said the military drills were intended to target the ‘wrong signals’ sent by the United States in its show of support for Taiwan. Above: a Chinese military H-6K bomber
The J-20, which is China’s most powerful stealth figher jet has started patrols of the East China Sea and the South China Sea in move will enable the advanced warplane to better safeguard China’s airspace security and maritime interests, said the Global Times, a mouthpiece for the communist regime.
During a Friday meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the technology hub a ‘country of global significance’ and its security has implications for the world.
Taiwan produces 90% of the world’s high-end semiconductor products, making it ‘a country of global significance, consequence and impact,’ Menendez added.
To emphasise how the US views the importance of Taiwan, he said: ‘It should be understood the security of Taiwan has a global impact.’
Semiconductors are a vital component for electrical appliances, found in almost every form of technology used for communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and countless others.
China is always sure to bristle at reference to Taiwan as a ‘country’, and regards US support for the democratic island off its coast to be a form of interference in its internal affairs.
The US has no formal relations with Taiwan but has long been their most important backer and guarantor of its security.
Taiwan operates in the shadow of explicit Chinese ambitions to ‘reunite’ the island with the mainland under the governance of the Chinese Communist Party.
China’s Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it nonetheless views the island as part of its territory. Threats of annexing the island have turned more hostile under Xi Jinping (pictured in Beijing, Friday, April 8, 2022)
Beijing claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory, and has promised to take it by force if necessary. It has stepped up aggressive flights by warplanes in recent months
Taiwan’s military today published an official handbook advising civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to stockpile emergency supplies (Taiwanese army soldiers during a Readiness Enhancement Drill, amid escalating Taiwan-China tensions, in Taiwan, January 2022)
Menendez was among a bipartisan group of six U.S. lawmakers visiting in a show of support to the democratic island in the face of continued Chinese pressure.
He acknowledged that China was ‘very unhappy’ about the visit but this would not stop the US from supporting Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, in its dispute with Beijing, which rules over 1.4 billion people in a virtual police state.
Taiwan has been heartened by the U.S. support offered by the Biden administration, which has repeatedly talked of its ‘rock-solid’ commitment to the democratically governed island.
That has added to strains in Sino-U.S. relations, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called the visit ‘condescending’ and ‘irresponsible.’
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned that the U.S. is ‘going down the wrong and dangerous path’
Zhao warned yesterday that the U.S. is ‘going down the wrong and dangerous path’ by not adhering to the One China principle.
China‘s Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it nonetheless views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
Taiwan‘s military on Tuesday published an official handbook advising civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to stockpile emergency supplies.
Threats against the island have turned more hostile under Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in a generation, while Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine has also heightened fears that China will soon follow through on threats to annex its smaller neighbour.
The 28-page guide contains information which ‘the general public can use as an emergency response guideline in a military crisis or natural disaster,’ defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said during an introduction at an online press conference.
It is the first time Taiwan’s military has published such a handbook.
Source: DailyMail
