U.S. Aircraft Flies Through Taiwan Strait to Counter China’s Sovereignty Claim and Military Expansion: Taiwanese Expert
The recent passage of a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft through the Taiwan Strait was aimed at countering China’s claims to the waterway and its “systematic expansion” in the region, Taiwan’s military expert said.
The United States flying the reconnaissance plane through the Taiwan Strait on June 24 was a response to China’s assertion that the strait is not international waters, Su Tzu-yun, an analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said.
It was also aimed at countering the “systematic expansion” of China’s military presence in the region, for example its warplane incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and its warships’ sailings through waters claimed by China and other countries in the South China Sea, Su said.
The U.S. aircraft’s transit came after 29 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan’s ADIZ on June 21, the third-highest single-day total this year, and after Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference that China “has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the [whole] Taiwan Strait.”
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the U.S. aircraft’s transit “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows, including within the Taiwan Strait,” the statement read.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” it added.
References:
[1] Focus Taiwan: https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202206250004
[2] Taipei Times: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/06/26/2003780574
China’s Military Intrusions and Activities Near Taiwan and Japan Threatening Regional Stability
A total of 22 Chinese military aircraft flew into the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on June 23, the fourth-highest single-day total this year, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The aircraft included ten Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, five JH-7 fighter-bombers, two Y-8 electronic signals intelligence aircraft, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control planes, two H-6 bombers, and one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft.
The MND has published information about Chinese warplanes’ intrusions into Taiwan’s ADIZ since September 2020.
The highest number of intrusions reported this year was 39 on January 23, followed by 30 on May 30, and 29 on June 21, MND data showed.
Meanwhile, on June 23, Taiwan’s military said it had deployed warships to monitor the movements of Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships, including Type 052C guided-missile destroyer (Luyang-II Class) and Type 056A light frigate (Jiangdao Class), that recently sailed near Taiwan.
On June 22, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said the two Chinese navy ships diverted from their usual routes of entering the Pacific Ocean and for the first time traveled there between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Taiwan’s Yilan County.
According to media reports, the two PLAN ships were among several Russian and Chinese warships that Japan’s Ministry of Defense has observed near Japan’s territory recently.
The Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi criticized Chinese and Russian warships recently sailing near Japan for their “show of force,” warning against such actions as “saber-rattling tactics” against his nation, according to a Kyodo News report.
Kishi expressed concern over “nearly 10 Russian and Chinese warships” moving around Japan on similar routes since mid-June, and described the actions as “almost circling Japan,” the report said.
References:
[1] Focus Taiwan: https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202206230022
[2] Focus Taiwan: https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202206230014
[3] Taipei Times: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/06/24/2003780454
Taiwan Thanks G7 Leaders for Continued Support
On June 28, Taiwan’s government expressed gratitude to the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations, after they released a communique that stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for the second consecutive year.
In a press release, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the communique issued on June 28 by leaders of the G7 industrialized nations “underscores the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourages a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.”
The communique was released after the annual meeting of G7 leaders, at Schloss Elmau in southern Germany June 26-28. Leaders from Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa, and Ukraine also took part in the three-day summit.
This is the second consecutive year that the annual summit has issued a statement of support for Taiwan, in an indication of the G7 countries’ strong support, which is sincerely appreciated by the Taiwanese government and people, MOFA said.
According to MOFA, similar statements, stressing the importance of cross-strait peace, have also been issued after bilateral summits over the past year between Japan and Australia, the United States and the European Union, and the U.S. and South Korea.
Those joint statements showed that there is “consensus in the international community” on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said.
MOFA also applauded a pledge by the G7 to raise US$600 billion in public and private funds to finance infrastructure in developing nations to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
