United States: The US will send planes and warships to the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks as Washington expects Beijing's "intensified pressure campaign" against the self-ruled island in the coming months, according to a senior White House official. Will happen.
The Indo-Pacific coordinator for President Joe Biden, Kurt Campbell, also said on Friday that "an ambitious road map for trade talks" with Taiwan would be made "public" in the coming days.
To further stabilize the situation in the Western Pacific, we will ensure that our presence, posture and practice take into account China's more provocative and volatile behavior.
In response to Beijing's ongoing efforts to undermine stability, he continued, "we will maintain peace and take steps to maintain stability, and support Taiwan in line with our long-term policy."
"Standard air and sea transit operations" will take place in the Taiwan Strait over the next few weeks.
Tensions between the US and China have reached a new high after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last week. Campbell made these comments at this time.
Pelosi's visit sparked the wrath of Beijing, which led to mainland China's People's Liberation Army conducting several live-fire military exercises around the self-ruled island.
The PLA said on Wednesday that the exercise was "completed", but added that it would "continue to conduct regular war preparedness patrols against Taiwan."
Despite these developments, when asked to confirm the Wall Street Journal report, Campbell did not rule out the possibility of meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in person. This possibility was brought up during the most recent phone call of the leaders on 28 July.
Following Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Beijing scrapped several diplomatic efforts involving Washington, including military-to-military talks and joint efforts to combat climate change.
The USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group was deployed to the area by the White House while it was "monitoring the situation". On Tuesday, the US and Japan conducted a joint air force exercise around Okinawa. During the live-fire exercise, Japan claimed that Chinese missiles had landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Campbell's indication that a trade announcement is imminent is in line with the strategy unveiled by Washington in June to strengthen these ties through the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade.
The trade deal can be especially useful for Taiwan. Beijing announced it was halting imports of a number of Taiwanese foods, including citrus fruits, biscuits and confectionery, before and after Pelosi's visit. Pelosi's visit, a longtime critic of Beijing, was referred to by mainland officials as a "serious political provocation". The second in the order of the US Presidency is the Speaker of the US House.
Beijing views Taiwan as a separatist province and opposes any official diplomatic contact between the island and other countries.
Beijing said in its most recent policy paper this week that it would use force against Taiwan if it was unable to take control of the island "peacefully".
Like most countries, Washington changed its official diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 and does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
However, Washington opposes any attempt to capture the island by force. According to the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is allowed to supply weapons of a "defensive character" to Taipei. Washington has purposefully kept the amount of US government aid unclear.
US-China relations could be further strained by a bill that would designate Taiwan as a "major non-NATO ally" and is currently making its way through the US Congress.
The Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 will enhance Taiwan's defense capabilities with US$4.5 billion in security assistance. Additionally, the law would oblige Washington to promote Taipei's inclusion in international organizations.
Nancy Pelosi faces criticism for including her son in the Taiwan delegation
China sanctions Lithuanian minister for visiting Taiwan
US Tariffs on China: Beijing is "already tired of the show" Washington is putting on