BEIJING: China's "irresponsible" military response after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August showed unworthy conduct for a country with global ambitions, a top US military official in the Indo-Pacific said on Friday.

The People's Republic of China sent warships and military aircraft to all sides of the independent island in the days and weeks that followed the visit of the highest-ranking US official to Taiwan in 25 years.

It launched missiles around Washington, repeatedly violated Taiwan's air defense territory, and suspended or canceled eight official military channels and communications with the United States.

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Vice Admiral Carl Thomas, commander of the US 7th Fleet based in Japan, said: "Countries aspiring to be leaders in the world should not behave like this."

He continued that China has said that it wants to settle disputes in the Taiwan Strait peacefully. But the reason the word "irresponsible" is attached is because you can see them launching ballistic missiles over Taiwan, landing them in maritime commons and shipping lanes, and some of them actually in the Japanese Economic Exclusion Zone. have descended.

Thomas, who began his naval aviation carrier landing aircraft on the pitching deck before commanding the two aircraft carriers, expressed hope that Beijing and Taiwan would learn valuable lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

For Taiwan, these include the importance of the people's willingness to fight, the use of contrasting weapons and tactics when facing a very large army, and the strong, charismatic leadership displayed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Taiwan has come under fire in Washington and at home for spending money on more maneuverable small arms that might be more useful in a Chinese attack than on tanks and other high-end, expensive defense equipment.

Lessons for China under President Xi Jinping include realizing how quickly the world can react to an invasion of neighbor's territory and how easy it is to underestimate military challenges, as Russian President Vladimir Putin described in domestic political Searched between protest and humiliation. Tremors in Ukraine.

I don't think President Putin would choose the same course of action if he had to do that election again, Thomas said, eight months after what we know now. "I think President Xi is looking at this and maybe even learning some lessons."

China views Taiwan as a separatist province, which must be reunited through force if necessary. The island is not recognized as an independent state by many countries, including the United States. Beijing strongly opposes Washington's legal obligation to support Taiwan's ability to defend itself militarily.

Thomas is the commander of the United States 7th Fleet, which at any given time consists of about 60 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors. Thomas is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and reports to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, which is based in Hawaii.

With about 350 ships, China has the largest navy in the world, compared to the United States' 290 or more. However, most military analysts say that despite China's size, the quality and capabilities of the US Navy are far superior.

Speaking at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Thomas said that although there were undoubtedly some significant differences between the positions in Taiwan and Ukraine, an invasion of the Taiwan Strait would actually be much more challenging.

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They pointed out that when fighting in 80 miles (130 km) of water, there are no foxes to hide, and the lack of notable amphibious assault attempts in recent years was likely not a coincidence, a countering force of precision weapons. was looking at.

The admiral, who attended the Nuclear Energy School, said the US military was concerned by the recent wave of missiles by North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un—"Tantrum" Un or whatever you want to call it.

But China is by far America's biggest concern, he continued, as evidenced in both the Biden administration's National Security Strategy released on Wednesday and the US government's National Defense Strategy, published earlier this year.

Thomas said it was difficult to overestimate China's rapidly growing global ambitions and that the best course of action was to back down militarily and diplomatically with allies and partners.

Additional joint military training exercises, joint freedom of navigation patrols, and information sharing with Japan, Australia, Britain, and other countries could specifically be included in this.

Thomas said, adding that there was "a lot at stake," "we're working as one team because it's going to take the entire free world coming together to enforce the rules-based international order."

The use of ostensibly civilian obstacles to thwart foreign militaries is known as "grey-zone activities," and it has presented a significant challenge for the US and its allies in confronting China.

Thomas noted that the tactic was typically used closer to land than in deeper water areas, and that an authoritarian state like China was using commercial fishing fleets to block, divert, or harass US military vessels.

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According to him, one US response has been to increase US Coast Guard patrols in coordination with those of Japan, the Philippines, and other nations.

The US has conducted freedom of navigation operations, or Fonops, through the Taiwan Strait almost on a monthly basis in the past, but this year appears to have seen a decrease in Fonops compared to 2021 or 2020.

In the most recent incident, on September 20, the destroyer USS Higgins and the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver of the Royal Canadian Navy passed through the strait.

According to Thomas, Fonops were intended to be erratic and unpredictable. Allies are also supporting them more frequently, as evidenced by Canada's recent participation.

He continued, noting a level of transparency generally lacking with the People's Liberation Army, that the US military and allies work hard to avoid "unplanned encounters" with other countries' military hardware or announce on open channels when other signalling is not acknowledged by Chinese vessels.