Posted on 04/28/2022 3:44:37 AM PDT by EBH
China’s military has accused the United States of undermining regional peace and security after it sent a naval destroyer through the Strait of Taiwan on Tuesday as part of a routine freedom of navigation exercise.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command accused the US of “provocative” naval activities and said the move sent the “wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces” in a brief statement.
The US regularly sends destroyers through the strait, although sometimes other allies such as France might send a naval patrol in its place.
The 180km (112 miles) wide South China Sea waterway separates China from Taiwan and its outlying islands, all of which are claimed as sovereign territory by Beijing.
The US regards the Taiwan Strait as international waters.
The US 7th Fleet said the USS Sampson had sailed from north to south through the strait on Tuesday.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement after the event. “The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence also confirmed that the destroyer had sailed from north to south as part of a “routine” patrol.
The US does not formally recognise Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy also known as the Republic of China, but in practice, is one of Taipei’s closest allies.
Beijing regards the US patrols as a show of support for Taiwan and President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has labelled a “separatist”.
The US has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself if it were attacked by China, although its promises fall short of a promise to intervene.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday told US lawmakers that Washington remains committed to helping Taiwan defend itself and build up its asymmetric defence capability to ward off any attack, according to the South China Morning Post.
Yeah, let’s watch Biden agitate China into an invasion the same way it agitated Russia.
We have come to one hell of a point, when the most reliable news in this country comes from Al Jazeera.
Al f***ing Jazeera!
It’ll be classified as a disinformation source by the newly minted Ministry of Truth, just you wait.
Even the BBC, which is kept on a leash by the UK government (no true freedom of press there) is more open than our own propagandist newsliars.
China invading Taiwan is a serious threat to American national security interests.
Ukraine? Not so much.
L
It is a threat to the global economy as well. But imagine a three-pronged war with Russia attacking Europe, China attacking Taiwan and Asia/Australia and Iran attacking Saudi Arabia at the same time.
I’m sure some free market FReepers will get excited at the monetary opportunities…
Completed it for you.
China (PLAN) would blockade the ISLSAND of Taiwan before it even considers an invasion.
Possibly. I am sure China has operators embedded in Taiwan already just waiting for the signal to create an overthrow of the elected government.
The blockade would simply keep anyone from outside Taiwan from interfering with a regional political dispute (how the Chinese might phrase it).
I don’t disagree with you at all.
And that should only take 5-10 years or so. Now I’ll ask this. What do we do if China invades Taiwan in the mean time? Like maybe next month.
L
No? Food, computer chips, oil, gas. All these are vital to Europe. If it’s vital to Europe, then we are included.
Then let Europe defend their interests. We can bring our guys home from Kosovo while we are at it. I’m old enough to remember Bill Clinton telling us they’d be home by Christmas back in the 90s.
Those European slackers have been freeloading off the long suffering American taxpayer long enough.
L
What a genius idea : moving our factories and jobs to communist china. If my memory is correct, the response to questions about the wisdom of that was” China would never go to war with us, we’re their best customer.
But it was A-OK when the Chinese sent a warship into Japan’s territorial waters the other day.
Screw China.
LOL. I can’t remember who started all that off-shoring. Was it Nixon or Carter? Or later than them?
Nixon.
You forgot North Korea attacking South Korea
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