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Democratic and independent Taiwan is constantly threatened by an authoritarian invasion by Chinese forces. Beijing’s leaders see the island as part of Chinese territory and promise to win it back one day.
“It just came to our attention then [Kinija] accelerating their ambitions … to displace America and our leadership role in a rules-based international order by 2050, “said Admiral Philip Davidson, a senior US military official for the Asia-Pacific region.
“It is clear that Taiwan is one of their ambitions, [kurias būtų siekiama įgyvendinti] earlier. And I think that threat will come in this decade, in fact, in the next six years, “the admiral told the US Senate committee.
Taiwan has been ruled separately from mainland China since 1949, when the Nationalists, after defeating the Civil War, fled to the island and formed an alternative government.
Washington has not officially recognized Taiwan’s sovereignty since 1979 and considers it part of “one China,” but it remains the island’s most important unofficial ally and military supporter.
Former US President Donald Trump has developed extremely warm ties with Taiwan and disagrees with Beijing in areas such as trade and national security.
Signs from the Biden administration gave Taiwan optimism that Washington would continue to support Taipei. The state department said in January that the United States’ commitments to Taiwan were “rock solid.”
The current Taiwanese ambassador to the United States was officially invited to Mr. Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Such a move has been unprecedented since 1979.
China, in turn, also asserts rights over almost the entire South China Sea, rich in natural resources, and even threatens the US-controlled island of Guam, Ph. Davidson.
“Guam is the target today,” the admiral warned, recalling that the Chinese army had released a video showing a simulated attack on a base on an island, very similar to the US installations on Diego Garcia and Guam.
The military has asked lawmakers to approve plans to install a battery in Guinea’s Aegis Ashore missile defense system capable of shooting down China’s most powerful missiles.
Guam “needs to be defended, it needs to be prepared for future threats,” Ph. Davidson.
The admiral called on senators to support plans to equip Australia and Japan with Aegis systems, as well as funds for offensive weapons, to “send a message to China that what they are trying to do is too high.”
China has accused the US of dramatizing the situation
Beijing immediately responded to Ph. Davidson’s comments.
“Some people in the United States continue to use the Taiwan issue to inflate China’s military threat,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.
“But in essence, these are attempts by the United States to find an excuse to increase military spending, expand its forces and interfere in regional affairs,” he added.
Former US President Donald Trump has developed extremely warm ties with Taiwan and disagrees with Beijing in areas such as trade and national security.
Signs from the Biden administration gave Taiwan optimism that Washington would continue to support Taipei. The state department said in January that the United States’ commitments to Taiwan were “rock solid.”
The current Taiwanese ambassador to the United States was officially invited to Mr. Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Such a move has been unprecedented since 1979.
China, in turn, also asserts rights over almost the entire South China Sea, rich in natural resources, and even threatens the US-controlled island of Guam, Ph. Davidson.
“Guam is today’s target,” the admiral warned, recalling that the Chinese army had published a video showing a simulated attack on a base on an island, very similar to the US installations on Diego Garcia and Guam.
The military has asked lawmakers to approve plans to install a battery in Guinea’s Aegis Ashore missile defense system capable of shooting down China’s most powerful missiles.
Guam “needs to be defended, it needs to be prepared for future threats,” Ph. Davidson.
The admiral called on senators to support plans to equip Australia and Japan with Aegis systems, as well as funds for offensive weapons, to “send a message to China that what they are trying to do is too high.”
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