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Pentagon’s high China official visits Taiwan as Washington and Beijing spar over balloon

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Pentagon’s high China official visits Taiwan as Washington and Beijing spar over balloon

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The Pentagon’s high China official has arrived in Taiwan, in a uncommon go to to the island by a senior US policymaker that comes as relations between Washington and Beijing are mired in disaster over a suspected Chinese language spy balloon shot down two weeks in the past.

Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, has arrived in Taiwan, in response to considered one of 4 individuals who stated he would journey to the nation. He was beforehand in Mongolia, in response to two of the folks accustomed to the journey.

Chase is the primary senior defence official to go to Taiwan since Heino Klinck, deputy assistant secretary for east Asia, went in 2019. On the time, he was essentially the most senior Pentagon official to go to the island in 4 a long time.

The go to comes as US-China relations have sunk to a brand new low after the Chinese language navy flew a big balloon over North America for eight days till an F-22 shot it down off the coast of South Carolina.

China says the balloon was a civilian craft doing meteorological analysis, however the US insists it was getting used for surveillance over delicate navy websites, together with nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile silos in Montana.

President Joe Biden on Thursday stated he deliberate to speak to his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping to “get to the underside” of the incident, which has sparked calls in Congress for the US to take a harder line on Beijing.

The Pentagon declined to touch upon the journey to Taiwan. Nevertheless it harassed that US “help for, and defence relationship with, Taiwan stays aligned towards the present risk posed by the Folks’s Republic of China”.

“Our dedication to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the upkeep of peace and stability throughout the Taiwan Strait and throughout the area,” added the Pentagon spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners.

The go to comes at a delicate second in relations between Washington and Beijing. US secretary of state Antony Blinken is attempting to fulfill Wang Yi, the highest Chinese language international coverage official, on the Munich safety convention this weekend. However two folks accustomed to the talks stated Wang had not but agreed to such a gathering. The state division declined to remark.

Three weeks in the past, Blinken cancelled a deliberate journey to China at brief discover due to the balloon incident. He had been scheduled to fulfill Xi.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing additionally stay excessive over Taiwan. A high US Air Power common not too long ago stated he believed the US and China was prone to go to struggle over Taiwan in 2025. The Pentagon moved shortly to say that his feedback didn’t mirror the official view.

Beijing opposes visits to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, by US officers and lawmakers. Final August, the Chinese language navy held large-scale navy workout routines, together with flying ballistic missiles over Taiwan, after Nancy Pelosi turned the primary Speaker of the US Home of Representatives to go to the island in 25 years.

Beijing argues that visits to Taiwan, over which it claims sovereignty, dilute Washington’s “one China” coverage. Below the coverage, which has been in place for the reason that US and China established relations in 1979, Washington recognises Beijing as the only authorities of China and acknowledges, with out endorsing, the Chinese language view that Taiwan is a part of China.

Whereas the Biden administration has averted overtly antagonising China with official visits, at the least one senior navy official has visited Taiwan.

Final 12 months, the Monetary Occasions reported that Admiral Michael Studeman, then the highest intelligence officer at Indo-Pacific Command, visited Taipei at across the identical time Chinese language and Russian strategic bombers flew a joint mission over the Sea of Japan whereas Biden was on a visit to Tokyo.

The Biden administration insists US coverage in direction of Taiwan has not modified. However the president has on 4 events stated the US navy would intervene if China attacked Taiwan.

His remarks appeared to shift the longstanding US coverage of “strategic ambiguity” below which Washington refuses to say if it will intervene in a battle.

The coverage was designed to make Taiwan much less prone to declare independence — which might virtually actually set off a Chinese language assault — whereas making Beijing assume twice about any navy motion towards the nation.

Observe Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter

 



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