US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called China’s military activity near Taiwan “provocative and destabilizing”, a day after his Chinese counterpart warned that Beijing “would not hesitate to launch a war” if the island declared its independence.
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“We are seeing growing coercion from Beijing. We have seen a continued increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,” Austin said at the Shangri-la Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Saturday.
“This includes (Chinese military) planes flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months, and almost daily,” he added. “We categorically oppose any unilateral change to the status quo on either side.”
But he also stressed the importance of “fully open lines of communication with China’s defense officials” to avoid miscalculations. “These are deeply, deeply important conversations,” he insisted.
A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense reported on Friday the remarks made that day by Minister Wei Fenghe during a meeting with Mr. Austin on the sidelines of this forum: “If anyone dared to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese army would not hesitate for a moment to start a war, whatever the cost”.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Beijing (which considers the island as an integral part of its territory) “would smash into a thousand pieces” any attempt at independence.
For his part, Lloyd Austin told Wei Fenghe that Beijing should “refrain” from any further destabilizing action in this region, according to the Pentagon.
Aerial incursions
China considers the island of 24 million people to be one of its historical provinces, even if it does not control it, and has increased pressure against Taipei in recent years, for example leading campaigns of incursions of warplanes in the Taiwan Air Defense Zone.
Last year, Taiwan recorded 969 incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defense identification zone, according to an AFP database – more than double the roughly 380 incursions made in 2020.
US President Joe Biden appeared to break with decades of US policy last month when he said Washington would militarily defend Taiwan if attacked by China.
The White House has since insisted, however, that its policy of “strategic ambiguity” over possible intervention has not changed.
Washington is seeking to refocus its foreign policy on Asia. Beyond Taiwan, China and the United States are embroiled in a range of other disputes, including over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Washington accusing Beijing of lending tacit support to Moscow.
China has called for talks to end the war, but has failed to condemn Russia’s actions and has repeatedly criticized US arms donations to Ukraine.
China’s claims in the South China Sea have also stoked tensions with Washington.
Wei will address the forum on Sunday, which runs until June 12.
The event is usually annual, but has been postponed twice since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.