The United States has warned of a possible miscalculation involving China’s military pressure against Taiwan, which has grown exponentially after Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the province that Beijing considers part of its territory.
On Wednesday (17), diplomat Daniel Kritenbrink, responsible for Asian affairs at the US State Department, said the growing Chinese offensive threatens peace and stability in the region, adding that the intensified campaign is likely to continue in the coming years. weeks and months.
Since Pelosi landed in Taiwan in early August, China has carried out military deployments around the island in retaliation for what it saw as an affront. The series of live ammunition maneuvers included ballistic missile exercises as well as naval blockade and invasion simulations.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 51 Chinese planes and six ships had been detected operating around the island. According to Taipei, 25 aircraft crossed the strait’s median line — an unofficial barrier — or flew within the province’s air defense zone.
Washington says China uses Pelosi’s trip as a pretext to intimidate and undermine Taiwanese resistance, and says it has made it clear that its approach to Taiwan has not changed, including commitments to the “one China” policy and not support the island’s formal independence.
“While our policy has not changed, what has changed is Beijing’s increasing coercion. The PRC’s words and actions [República Popular da China] are profoundly destabilizing. They risk miscalculation and threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” says Kritenbrink.
According to him, in all the talks between Washington and Beijing, the US has made it clear that it does not seek and will not provoke a crisis.
On Friday, an adviser to President Joe Biden said he would make new air and sea crossings across the strait that separates the island from mainland China, in response to “provocative actions”.
At the conference, Kritenbrink highlighted that Washington will continue with naval transit in the region, adding that lines of communication with Beijing remain open. “We will continue to take calm but resolute steps to maintain peace and stability – in the face of Beijing’s continued efforts to undermine them – and support Taiwan in line with our long-standing policy,” he said.
On Wednesday, the US and Taipei also agreed to start new trade talks, to which China expressed firm opposition. After the announcement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it would take all necessary steps to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging Washington not to make a misjudgment.
Taiwanese diplomacy spokeswoman Joanne Out reiterated that the strait is an international shipping lane and said she considers US missions in the region positive for peace and stability.
