During his visit Tuesday to the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared Moscow’s stance on the issue.

“Russia, like the overwhelming majority of other countries, considers Taiwan to be part of the People’s Republic of China,” Lavrov said. “We have proceeded and will proceed from this premise in our foreign policy.”

Only 14 countries today, along with the Vatican, have diplomatic relations with Taipei. Even the U.S. maintains only informal relations with the island nation since recognizing Beijing in 1979, three decades after the Communist victory in a civil war drove nationalists into exile across the Taiwan Strait. The Soviet Union quickly sided with the new fellow Communist power, though Moscow and Beijing would soon develop their own feud that lasted the remainder of the Cold War.

But today, China and Russia are closer than ever, and this year celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 2001 Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation that redefined their relationship. These ties have grown especially warm in recent years as both found common ground in countering a mutual rival: the United States.

As the U.S. has turned its sights toward the Asia-Pacific region, especially since former President Donald Trump’s administration, Lavrov and other Russian officials have more readily criticized U.S. coalition-building with Australia, India and Japan under the banner of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Lavrov has recently been voicing his opposition to those efforts.

“The Indo-Pacific concept is aimed at breaking up this system that relied on the need to respect the indivisibility of security,” Lavrov told a defense and foreign policy conference last week, “and has openly proclaimed that its chief objective is containing China.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian praised Lavrov’s remarks days later, and on Monday also lauded Russian military expert Ivan Konovalov’s criticism over the behavior of U.S. and partnered navies in the Asia-Pacific region after a U.S. submarine collided with a still-unidentified object in the South China Sea.

During that same press briefing, Zhao shared his position on what he saw as Washington’s unhelpful actions targeting Moscow in Europe, where a new Russia-Germany gas pipeline known as Nord Stream 2 has drawn criticism from U.S. officials concerned about energy independence.

Over the weekend, Lavrov said the U.S. “is not hiding it and is straightforward” about pitting Russia and European powers against one another, and Zhao took the opportunity to support Moscow’s stance on Monday.

“It is well-known that the Nord Stream 2 project shows energy complementarity between Russia and Europe, and would help resolve the European energy crisis,” Zhao said. “The U.S., however, to serve its own geopolitical interests and monopolize the European energy market, spares no effort in disrupting and hobbling relevant projects to undermine the interests of Russia and Europe and their cooperation. This wins no support.”

He then linked the U.S. approach on the pipeline with that which it took in the Asia-Pacific, saying “the U.S. is adept at politicizing issues in all means and would hurt others indiscriminately, including its allies and partners, for its own interests.”

He argued that more nations are beginning to share this perception.

“We believe more countries, with their eyes wide open, will oppose the U.S. hegemonic approach featuring politicization and a sense of supremacy in pursuit of self-interests at the expense of others,” Zhao said.

However, as both Beijing and Moscow’s relations with Washington have deteriorated, each has attempted to stabilize its ties with the top world power.

On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland in Moscow, where an attempt by the Russians was said to have been made to roll back tit-for-tat sanctions targeting one another’s diplomatic missions.

“The officials discussed the status and prospects of bilateral relations,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a readout. “They paid special attention to the operation of the diplomatic missions on each other’s territory. Mr. Ryabkov emphasized that the hostile anti-Russian actions will not remain unanswered although Moscow does not seek to further escalate tensions. He suggested removing all restrictions that both sides have introduced in the past few years.”

And Ryabkov warned that continued tensions would only serve to make life more difficult for both parties.

“Ms. Nuland was told that the continuation of Washington’s line toward confrontation on the bilateral agenda and in the context of acute international and regional problems can only result in the further degradation of Russian-US relations,” according to the Russian side. “It is necessary to adopt a realistic approach and build bilateral ties on the principles of equality and mutual consideration of each other’s interests.”

When it comes to China, two notable interactions have occurred over the past month. Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke via telephone, and last Wednesday Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi met virtually with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Tensions appear to have somewhat eased on the surface amid this communication, but core areas of contention exist, with Taiwan identified by both sides as the primary issue.

Under both Trump and Biden, the U.S. has gradually expanded its informal support for Taiwan, including in the security realm. Taipei officials, such as Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, have also increased their ambitions for challenging the “one-China” near-consensus that exists among the international community.

Responding to Wu’s arguments that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 that passed Taipei’s U.N. seat to Beijing in 1971 does not preclude Taiwan from participating in the U.N, Zhao said during his daily press briefing on Friday “the remarks of some politician in Taiwan are just nonsense.”

“There is only one China in the world, the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China,” Zhao said. “This is a basic fact recognized by the international community. Our position of adhering to the one-China principle will remain unchanged; our attitude of rejecting ‘two Chinas’, ‘one China, one Taiwan’ and ‘Taiwan independence’ is not to be challenged, and our resolve of upholding national sovereignty and territorial integrity is unswerving.”

Zhao also emphasized that Taiwan was a province of China and therefore not qualified from participating independently in international organizations such as the U.N. And he reiterated Beijing’s commitment to reintegrating Taiwan under mainland rule, a pledge Xi has vowed to achieve through diplomacy or force, if neccesary.

“We believe that the just cause of the Chinese government and Chinese people to uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity, oppose secession and achieve reunification will continue to win understanding and support of the U.N. and its member states,” Zhao said.

That same day, the Chinese military’s official online portal carried a commentary by the official military newspaper, the People’s Liberation Army Daily, underlining the need to achieve reunification.

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has firm will, full confidence, and sufficient capabilities to thwart all external interference and separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the commentary read. “If the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces dared to split Taiwan from China in any name and by any means, the People’s Army will resolutely crush it at all costs.”

The commentary also argued for an even more urgent need to focus on this point.

“The officers and soldiers of the entire army must increase their sense of anxiety and responsibility for their missions, focus on fighting, focus on all tasks, and have the ambition to strengthen the army and rejuvenate the army,” the commentary read. “The high level of vigilance ensures that when the party and the people need it, they will come when they are called, they will be able to fight, and they will be victorious.”

Successive U.S. administrations have deliberately avoided making any overt pledges to defend Taiwan in the event of Chinese military action.

Asked about the U.S. planned response to a hypothetical Chinese incursion a day after his online talks with Jang, Sullivan replied, “Let me just say this, we are going to take action now to try to prevent that day from ever coming to pass.”

China and Russia have no formal military alliance, and both sides have said there were no plans to adopt such a framework, even as their defense ties continue to increase. But the two nations have pursued an increasing number of joint exercises, including large-scale drills in August focused on counterterrorism in northwestern China at a time of growing instability as U.S. troops left a two-decade conflict in neighboring Afghanistan, one of a number of regional and international issues on which Beijing and Moscow have stepped up collaboration.

And in yet another display of aligned interests, the two countries released a joint statement on the Biological Weapons Convention, in which “they emphasize that the United States’ and its allies’ overseas military biological activities (over 200 U.S. biological laboratories are deployed outside its national territory, which function in opaque and non-transparent manner) cause serious concerns and questions among the international community over its compliance with the BWC.”

This point has been especially promoted by China since the emergence of U.S. suspicions regarding a potential role played by the Wuhan Virological Institute in the outbreak of COVID-19, a disease first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. A U.S. intelligence report commissioned by President Biden came to an inconclusive finding as to whether the pathogen may have appeared naturally or accidentally leaked out of the facility, but the probe has only further damaged U.S.-China relations.

As his first year in office draws to a close, Biden has already met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a June bilateral summit Geneva, and discussions are underway for a potential virtual talk with Xi, though no official date has yet been confirmed.

“I don’t have any update at this point,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. “It’s just something that we’re working through and in discussions about at a staff level.”

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-taiwan-part-china-partners-align-around-world-1638170?piano_t=1

The post Russia Says Taiwan is Part of China as Two Powers Further Align Against U.S. first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Tensions have hit a new high between Taipei and Beijing, which claims the democratic island as its own territory, and Chinese military aircraft have repeatedly flown through Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.

Over a four-day period beginning last Friday, Taiwan reported close to 150 Chinese air force aircraft entered its air defence zone, part of a pattern of what Taipei calls Beijing’s continued harassment of the island. Just one incursion was reported on Tuesday.

Asked by a lawmaker on the current military tensions with China at the parliament, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the situation was “the most serious” in more than 40 years since he joined the military, adding there was a risk of a “misfire” across the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

“For me as a military man, the urgency is right in front of me,” he told a parliamentary committee reviewing a special military spending of T$240 billion (S$11.7 billion) for home-made weapons including missiles and warships.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan says it will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.

Chiu said China already has the ability to invade Taiwan and it will be capable of mounting a “full scale” invasion by 2025.

“By 2025, China will bring the cost and attrition to its lowest. It has the capacity now, but it will not start a war easily, having to take many other things into consideration.”

The United States, Taiwan’s main military supplier, has confirmed its “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan and also criticized China. Beijing blames Washington’s policies of supporting Taiwan with arms sales and sending warships through the Taiwan Strait for raising tensions.

Taiwan’s special military spending over the next five years will go mostly towards naval weapons including anti-ship weapons such as land-based missile systems.

Chiu’s comments came after US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and they agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement.

“I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree… we’ll abide by the Taiwan agreement,” he said. “We made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement.”

Biden appeared to be referring to Washington’s long-standing “one China policy” under which it officially recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei, and the Taiwan Relations Act, which makes clear that the US decision to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing instead of Taiwan rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means.

The comments to reporters at the White House were made after Biden’s return from a trip to Michigan touting a spending package.

The United States urged China on Sunday to stop its military activities near Taiwan.

“The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Sunday.

Biden also appeared to be referencing a 90-minute call he held with Xi on Sept 9, their first talks in seven months, in which they discussed the need to ensure that competition between the world’s two largest economies does not veer into conflict.

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/biden-says-he-and-chinas-xi-agree-to-abide-by-taiwan-agreement

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China‘s recent live-fire drills near Taiwan were targeted at the island’s government, a military expert said this week, claiming Chinese forces would leave “no chance” for the U.S. to intervene.

Veteran Chinese commentator Du Wenlong spoke confidently about the People’s Liberation Army‘s amphibious capabilities on Tuesday amid a six-day, large-scale PLA exercise off the coast of eastern China, roughly 135 nautical miles north of democratic Taiwan.

Appearing as a panelist on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s prime-time program Defense Review, the analyst said the short distance meant PLA forces would be able to reach the island’s shores “within a day.”

The prolonged Chinese military drills in the East China Sea were announced by China’s maritime safety authority, which issued a no-go zone for merchant vessels lasting through July 21. The exercises—also about 120 nautical miles northeast of the disputed Senkaku Islands—would have involved the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command.

© Fred Lee/Getty Images Planes from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force fly in formation during a parade to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on July 1, 2021, in Beijing, China. Fred Lee/Getty Images

“From a strategic point of view, this allows us to traverse that distance in a very short amount of time, then begin combat maneuvers on the island,” Du said of a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.

The live-fire drills were announced a day after a U.S. Air Force jet landed in Taipei to deliver what local media described as “diplomatic mail” for the American Institute in Taiwan, which is the de facto U.S. embassy on the island. The stopover lasted all but 34 minutes, but the nature of the delivery—involving an American military asset—irked Beijing, which accused the U.S. of trespassing in its airspace.

Du called the PLA exercises a “serious warning” about Taiwan’s continued military engagements with the U.S.

“The current drills a short distance away could be considered a routine exercise, but I think they’re specially targeted [at Taiwan],” Du added. “Taiwan is the target.”

“How much time would the U.S. really have?” Du said, in the event China decided to launch a wave of attacks to invade the island.

He added: “Before U.S. forces arrive, we will have completed all our combat tasks. They will have no chance to intervene in a Taiwan Strait conflict.”

Cross-strait tensions have risen in recent years amid a breakdown in dialogue between Taipei and Beijing, now into its fifth consecutive year. Each side blames the other for the impasse.

As U.S.-Taiwan ties reached new highs in the final year of the Trump administration, they coincided with a straining of relations between the U.S. and China. The Biden administration has been working to reestablish communications at all levels—seen as necessary to avoid misunderstandings and accidents, especially of a military nature.

Beijing, meanwhile, has offered weekly reminders of its intention to “unify” Taiwan, which it considers a Chinese province despite having never governed it. China has also warned Taiwan—increasingly confident about its security because of U.S. backing—that it will use force if necessary.

Taiwan’s female artillery brigade takes part in an anti-invasion drill on a beach in Pingtung County on May 30, 2019. Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Murasame-class destroyer JS Ikazuchi steams alongside the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, in the Philippine Sea on August 18, 2020. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jason Tarleton/U.S. Navy

U.S. Marines maneuver combat rubber raiding craft after conducting drills in the Coral Sea on July 19, 2021. Lance Cpl. Grace Gerlach/U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Marines maneuver combat rubber raiding craft after conducting drills in the Coral Sea on July 19, 2021. Lance Cpl. Grace Gerlach/U.S. Marine Corps

Although the recent PLA drills were considered close at 135 nautical miles, it is not the nearest to Taiwan proper Chinese forces could come.

The choppy strait separating the two neighbors is only 70 natural miles wide at its narrowest point. Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen also lie just 3 miles from the Chinese port of Xiamen in Fujian province.

While the view out of Beijing suggests the PLA is capable of a swift and unannounced attack, military analysts in the U.S. and Taiwan predict such an outcome is far from conclusive.

China watchers say any invasion of Taiwan will require extensive amphibious preparations, including intentional troop movements that will serve as timely indicators for military intelligence in Taipei—and perhaps the U.S., too.

While the possibility of U.S. intervention remains, there is also the likelihood of action by Japan, which could find itself involved in the conflict in its capacity as an American treaty ally. Earlier in July, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso intimated that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could pose an “existential threat” to Japan’s own survival, necessitating a collective defense of the island with U.S. forces.

In addition, the U.S. has about 50,000 forward-deployed troops in Japan, mostly on Okinawa.

But despite the tense atmosphere and bellicose threats of war, analysts say there is no indication that China is preparing an imminent attack. They say Beijing is unlikely to take such a large risk before 2022, when China hosts the Winter Olympics and Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks a third term in the fall.

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Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/no-chance-us-can-stop-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-military-expert-says/ar-AAMrANu#image=AAMrANu_1|4

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China will respond to the reported visit of a US Navy admiral to Taiwan and firmly opposes any military relations between Taipei and Washington, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

A two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Neither Taiwan nor the United States has officially confirmed the trip.

The Trump administration has ramped up support for Taiwan, including with new arms sales, alarming China, which views the democratic island as one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state ties.

Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China “resolutely opposes” any form of exchanges between US and Taiwanese officials or the two having military relations.

China urges the United States to fully recognize the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, Zhao told a news briefing.

“The Chinese side will, according to how the situation develops, make a legitimate and necessary response,” he said, without elaborating.

China reacted with fury when US Health Secretary Alex Azar came to Taipei in August, followed by US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach in September, sending warplanes near to the island each time.

Zhao also expressed his displeasure with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on economic exchanges following a meeting between Taiwanese and US officials in Washington.

China has already lodged “stern representations” with the United States, which should stop having these kinds of interactions with Taiwan, he added.

Reuters

Source: https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2020/11/23/china-says-it-will-respond-to-us-admiral-visit-to-taiwan

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Aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army continued to enter Taiwan’s declared air defense identification throughout the weekend, even as the self-ruling island celebrated “National Day”—an occasion commemorating the end of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China, which Taiwan officially calls itself.

But as the rival People’s Republic of China made its presence known, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a military message as well.

“As commander-in-chief,” Tsai said, “I always have the future of our military and our military of the future in my heart.”

The Taiwanese leader vowed to buy and build more powerful military equipment during Saturday’s festivities.

“We will continue to modernize defensive combat capabilities and accelerate the upgrading of our asymmetrical capabilities to deal with military expansion and provocation from the other side of the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai said. “As we procure military hardware, we still remain dedicated to promoting our national self-defense capabilities.”

She also appealed for cross-strait stability and dialogue, but her words appeared lost on Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has vowed to assert control over Taiwan with military action if a peaceful path did not pan out.

Taiwan’s military reported on Sunday that Chinese Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft continued a daily streak of sorties along the disputed strait that represents the de facto divide between the mainland People’s Republic of China, led by the Chinese Communist Party, and Taiwan, a democracy that officially calls itself the Republic of China.

With Chinese media outlets such as the Communist Party-run Global Times hyping up the chances of all-out war, Andrew Yang, spokesperson of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, affirmed that Taiwan would double down on both indigenous and acquired military strength to deter an ever-looming Chinese incursion.

“Taiwan will continue to increase investments in its defense commensurate with the security challenges it faces,” Yang told Newsweek. “Taiwan will also seek security cooperation with the United States to build its defense systems that are cost-effective but lethal enough to make any invasions painful.”

Two U.S.-made F-16V fighter aircraft release flares after dropping bombs during the annual Han Kuang military drills in Taichung on July 16. The five-day “Han Kuang” (Han Glory) military drills starting on July 14 aimed to test how the armed forces would repel an invasion from China, which has vowed to bring Taiwan back into the fold—by force if necessary. SAM YEH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The case of Taiwan’s sovereignty is among the most serious challenges to U.S.-China relations, which have approached historic lows during the past year.

For more than four decades, the U.S. has adhered to the “One China” policy that acknowledges Beijing’s claims to Taiwan. But it has also maintained informal diplomatic and defense ties with Taipei, whose international links have dwindled to 14 nations since losing a 1949 civil war. China has refused relations with any country recognizing Taiwan, prompting much of the international community to shift relations as China opened up economically to the West over the past half a century.

The Trump administration has expanded upon the unofficial U.S. relationship with Taiwan, which has become a bone of contention as the two powers increasingly compete economically and geopolitically.

Last month’s annual Pentagon report on Chinese military power noted that “China continues to view the Taiwan issue as the most important and sensitive issue between the United States and China.”

Chinese forces have staged large displays of military might in protest to recent visits by senior U.S. officials to the island. One such series of exercises last month was rejected as “aggressive and destabilizing” in remarks sent to Newsweek by Pentagon spokesperson John Supple.

As Chinese fury toward the U.S. Taiwan policy mounts, some observers have warned the likelihood of a conflict has grown.

“The situation is escalating, mostly because of power competition and maritime disputes,” the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative told Newsweek in a statement.

The think tank deemed “unlikely” a possible military conflict between China and nearby members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that challenge some of Beijing’s territorial claims, but said “the risk of China-U.S. conflict is rising.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo downplayed this scenario in an interview Friday with radio host Hugh Hewitt. At the same time, he emphasized that the Trump administration would continue to work with Taiwan against China’s wishes.

“These are the obligations that the United States should undertake and is undertaking,” Pompeo said. “We recognize that this is a point of conflict with the Chinese Communist Party. We don’t want that. We want peace. But we are going to make sure that we live up to all of the obligations we have to Taiwan.”

Regional tensions remain high as the U.S. stepped up military activities near Taiwan and across the Asia-Pacific, including in the nearby East and South China Seas, where the Pentagon has challenged sweeping Chinese maritime claims.

A Chinese Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army is seen in this image shared October 11 by the Taiwan National Defense Ministry. Taiwan’s armed forces said radio warnings were issued and missile systems put on alert as the aircraft entered the island’s declared air defense identification zone. MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA

After the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John McCain sailed near the Paracel Islands, which are controlled by China but also claimed by ASEAN member Vietnam, Chinese Southern Military Command spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Nandong called Friday on the U.S. to “immediately stop such kind of provocative actions, strictly manage and control its maritime and air military operations so as not to cause any eventuality.”

The U.S. has sought to court regional countries to pressure China as a part of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” plan. Also on board are fellow Quadrilateral Security Dialogue members Australia, India, and Japan, whose representatives met last week with Pompeo in Tokyo.

The top U.S. diplomat rallied the three countries against the Chinese Communist Party by asserting that it “is more critical now than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partners from the CCP’s exploitation, corruption, and coercion.”

China’s embassy in Washington rejected Pompeo’s remarks in a reaction sent to Newsweek.

“China is committed to the path of peaceful development and firmly safeguards its sovereignty, security and development interests,” an embassy spokesperson said.

“At the same time, it is committed to resolving differences with other countries through dialogue and consultation,” the spokesperson added. “This is what we say and also what we do. We do not accept reckless smearing and groundless accusations against China.”

A map shows a selected series of China’s territorial disputes in the region as of January 1.U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/taiwan-wants-strong-us-defense-make-invasion-painful-china-conflict-fears-grow-1538404

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Beijing sends fighter jets into Taiwan Strait as US health chief meets island’s leader

China sent two air force jets which briefly crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait, shortly before United States health chief Alex Azar met Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen yesterday, said Taiwan’s air force.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Azar, the highest-ranking US Cabinet official to visit Taiwan since 1979, when the two sides ended formal diplomatic ties, yesterday hailed Taiwan’s “democratic success story, and a force for good in the world”. He also praised Ms Tsai’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, in a meeting certain to raise tensions between Beijing and Washington.

China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunified by force if necessary, has always resolutely opposed official exchanges between any country and Taiwan.

In the highest-level official meeting between Taiwan and the US in four decades, Ms Tsai began the session by expressing her gratitude towards US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mr Azar for “their continued recognition of the Taiwan model’s contribution to global anti-pandemic efforts, as well as their strong support for Taiwan’s international participation”.

She also said she expects notable progress on the joint collaboration between Taiwan and the US in developing Covid-19 vaccines.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Mr Azar appeared to have mispronounced Ms Tsai’s name – saying something which sounded closer to “shee”, which is the surname of Mr Xi Jinping, China’s President.

Despite Mr Azar getting the pronunciation correct a few sentences later, Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, expressed disapproval and called for the Presidential Office to demand an explanation from the visiting envoy.

The Presidential Office issued a response later in the afternoon, saying that after clarifying with Mr Azar’s team, it was a mere pronunciation issue, and that Mr Azar was undoubtedly addressing Ms Tsai.

Mr Azar, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, said the first theme of his visit was to “recognize Taiwan as an open and democratic society, executing a highly successful and transparent Covid-19 response”.

The second and third are respectively to “reaffirm Taiwan as a longstanding partner and friend of the United States”, and to “note that Taiwan deserves to be recognized as a global health leader with an excellent track record of contributing to international health”.

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Azar also met Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, who heads the island’s main Covid-19 response department, the Central Epidemic Command Centre.

The post US angers China with high-profile Taiwan visit first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Washington is legally obliged under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 to help the self-ruled island access defensive weapons, but such transactions are bitterly opposed by Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province. A new round of weapons sales to Taipei would also risk further inflaming tensions between the U.S. and China as the two countries remain locked in a trade fight.

Multiple people familiar with the weapons-sales plan told The Wall Street Journal that members of Congress have been informally notified of the possible arms sale. Ultimately, the Taiwanese government would have the option to buy some or all of the items included in the proposal, these people said.

Reuters earlier reported the potential sale, which includes Abrams tanks, antitank missiles, medium-range tactical missiles and portable Stinger air-defense missiles. The value could be in excess of $2 billion.

A State Department official, citing U.S. government policy on potential or pending arms sales, declined to comment on or confirm the terms before formal congressional notification.

A representative of the Taiwanese government declined to comment beyond a Ministry of National Defense statement confirming its request for the weapon systems, in accordance with U.S. procedures for foreign military sales.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said “China firmly, consistently and unequivocally opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.” He said he urged Washington to recognize the sensitive nature of the matter, honor the One China policy and halt any U.S. arms sales to or military relations with Taiwan.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when China’s Nationalist government retreated to the island after it was ousted from the mainland by Communist Party forces.

The U.S. officially adheres to the One China policy, meaning Washington won’t establish formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but the U.S. and Taiwan view the sales as crucial for stability in the region. President Trump approved a $1.42 billion arms sale in 2017, and the Obama administration approved a similar transfer in 2015.

With Beijing and Washington at a critical point in the high-stakes trade negotiations, new weapons sales could become a complicating factor in the dispute.

President Trump warned Beijing on Thursday about another potential tariff increase on Chinese goods if negotiators fail to reach a deal. China’s Commerce Ministry reiterated that Beijing wouldn’t shy away from responding to any U.S. escalation, though said it is not seeking a trade war.

Write to Courtney McBride at courtney.mcbride@wsj.com

Source:  https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/TDJNDN_2019060612086/us-plans-more-than-2-billion-in-weapons-sales-to-taiwan-angering-beijing.html

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GETTY

China have renewed military drills in the South China Sea

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