After China-Taiwan relations increased to a boiling point, an American carrier group has gone into the South China Sea. And now China has responded by flying dozen of jets in Taiwan’s airspace while further planning military drills in the area.
China is even warning Taiwan with the phrase “independence means war” in comments out of their Defense Ministry. During their monthly briefing, Chinese Defense spokesman Wu Qian was asked about tensions, and he answered that “military activities” within the Taiwan Strait “are needed to deal with the current situation”
He then warned by repeating the past foreign minister’s statements: “Those who handle fire will get burned, and ‘Taiwan independence’ means war.”
Chinese Spokesperson Zhao Lijian criticized the American military actions in the area, saying “It does no good for peace and stability for the U.S. to send military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea.”
He said the planned drills would go from Wednesday through Saturday, but not much is known about the size of the exercise, which is a clear sign of US activity in the region. Especially the USS Roosevelt which is now in the South China Sea for an operation named “freedom of operation.”
With each side flexing its muscles during a dangerous build-up, and given the amount of aerial and naval assets possibly crisscrossing, an inadvertent war could be triggered.
One Taiwan colonel in charge of the nation’s response, who was involved in sending jets to chase away frequent Chinese incursions told the media “We are ready” while emphasizing, “We will not give China one inch of our territory.”
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, promised to confront China while admitting there’ is “no doubt” that it is America’s greatest threat.
In a shocking statement during his confirmation hearing last week, Blinken said, “President Donald Trump was correct in his tougher approach to China.”
