US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he sees no imminent irruption of Taiwan by China but added Beijing was trying to establish a “new normal” with its military conditioning around the islet.
“I do not see an imminent irruption,” Austin said in an interview broadcast on CNN on Sunday.
“What we do see is China moving to establish what we’d call a new normal. Increased exertion – we saw a number of center line crossings of the Taiwan Strait by their aircraft. That number has increased over time. We have seen more exertion with their face vessels and waters in and around Taiwan.”
A visit to Taiwan beforehand in August by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi maddened China, which latterly launched military drills near the islet. Those have continued, although on an important- reduced scale.
The United States and its abettors responded to the drills by continuing to sail through the region. A US Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine conveyance through the Taiwan Strait on September 20.
Working to’ renew’ cooperation with China
The US will continue to work with its abettors and mates “to ensure that we maintain a free and open Indo- Pacific,” Austin said.
The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military pressure since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Mao Zedong- led forces, who established the People’s Republic of China.
Washington is working to renew channels of military communication with China, a commodity that’s critical to both countries, Austin said.
China in August halted cooperation with the US in a number of areas, including dialogue between elderly- position military commanders, in retribution for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Austin said he has communicated by phone and in person with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, who agreed that open dispatches were important.
“We will do everything we can to continue to gesture that we want those channels open and I would hope that China will begin to lean forward a bit more and work with us,” he said.
