US condemns China for ‘provocative’ overflights in Taiwan’s defense zone | China

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The United States has condemned China for its “provocative” and “destabilizing” military activity after Chinese fighter jets and bombers made the largest ever incursions into Taiwan’s air defense zone.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, threatens miscalculation, and undermines regional peace and stability,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

“We urge Beijing to stop military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan.”

Beijing marked its National Day on Friday with its largest air show of force against Taiwan to date, blanketing the democratic autonomous island with 38 warplanes, including H-6 nuclear bombers.

Taiwan said that was followed by a new record incursion on Saturday by 39 aircraft, and accused Beijing of “bullying” and “harming regional peace”.

“It is clear that the world, the international community, rejects such behaviors by China more and more,” Taiwan Prime Minister Su Tsing-chang told reporters on Saturday.

The 23 million people of democratic Taiwan live under the threat of invasion from China, which considers the island its territory and has vowed to take it one day by force if necessary.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taipei since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who said she considered the island to be “really independent” and not part of “one China”.

Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese warplanes cross into the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) almost daily.

In the past two years, Beijing has begun sending large sorties into Taiwan’s ADIZ region to signal dissatisfaction at crucial moments — and to keep Taipei’s aging fighter fleet regularly fatigued.

Xi called Taiwan becoming part of the mainland “inevitable”.

US military officials began speaking openly about concerns that China could consider the previously unimaginable invasion.

Protecting Taiwan has become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington, and a growing number of Western countries such as Britain have begun to join the United States in “freedom of navigation” exercises to deter China’s claims to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Price stressed that the United States “will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining an adequate self-defense capability.”

“The US commitment to Taiwan is very well-established and contributes to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region,” he said.

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