The military maneuvers of China’s regime around the island of Taiwan are “worrying”, although predictable, declared the commander of the command Indo-Pacific from the United States, Stephen D. Sklenkathis Thursday in Canberra.
In an appearance before the Australian Press ClubLieutenant General Sklenka considered that the “Expecting this type of behavior doesn’t mean we shouldn’t condemn it. We have to condemn it, not only ourselves, but also the nations of the region”.
The military high command also linked the chinese military maneuvers to the recent inauguration of the new president of Taiwan, Willian Lai (Lai Ching-te), branded by Beijing as a “separatist” and “troublemaker,” in a ceremony held last Monday attended by hundreds of delegates, including Americans and Australians.
“When there is an action that highlights Taiwan in the international arena, the Chinese feel obliged to make some kind of formal statement“, the US military man emphasized, adding that the Chinese military maneuver, which began this Thursday, responds more to “a domestic populism.
The statements by the US high command come a few hours before the start of a series of Chinese military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and around this island.
The spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, Li Xi, indicated that the maneuvers – baptized Joint Sword – 2021A (“united sword” in English) will last until Friday, and that they serve to test the real combat capabilities of the forces that make up the Command.
These maneuvers also serve “as a strong punishment for separatist acts of the forces defending ‘Taiwan independence’ and as a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces,” the spokesperson added.
Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan – a territory it considers a “rebellious province” since the Kuomintang nationalists retreated there in 1949 after losing the war to the communists – also maintains territorial conflicts with neighboring countries over the South Sea and China. Eastern China.
Sklenka pointed out that the friction that China has with countries like the Philippines or Vietnam or even with the United States or Australia are part of its “behavior pattern”, which is “deliberate, it is designed to intimidate and create tense situations that threaten regional stability and peace” .
In this sense, the military high command warned of the potential “devastating impact of a conflict in the Indo-Pacificwhich would put “an incalculable number of lives, trillions of dollars, global economic damage and international order at stake.”
The United States, which competes with China in the Indo-Pacific, signed a security agreement with R in 2021UK and Australiawhich includes the acquisition and development of nuclear submarines in the oceanic country to increase its presence in this region, rich in resources and through which much of world trade passes.
He Taiwan Government This Thursday he expressed his strong rejection of the military exercises of the China regime carried out around the island, describing them as “irrational provocations” that undermine regional peace and stability
“The Ministry of National Defense strongly condemns such irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” the ministry said in a statement.
In response to China’s hostilities, Taiwan activated its sea, air and land forces to ensure the defense of its sovereignty.
“We have dispatched sea, air and land forces to respond… to defend Taiwan’s freedom, democracy and sovereigntyn,” said the Ministry of Defense.
“This military exercise not only does not help peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights the militaristic mentality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is the essence of military expansionism and hegemony”he added.
Taipei will take “practical actions” to “protect the freedom, democracy and sovereignty” of Taiwan, according to the statement.
He further indicated that “in recent years, the CCP has continued to send planes and ships to harass (Taiwan), which has caused substantial damage to global peace and stability.”
(With information from EFE and AFP)
