China Claims US Destroyer Group’s Sail-Through of Taiwan Strait Was ‘Provocative’
China says that the US was ‘provocative’ when it sailed its destroyer group through the Taiwan Strait on March 17.
Reuters reports:
The U.S. destroyer Ralph Johnson’s sail-through of the Taiwan Strait on March 17 was a “provocative” act by the United States and sent the wrong signals to pro-Taiwan independence forces, the Chinese military said on Saturday.
Such an act was “very dangerous”, a Chinese military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that troops were organised to monitor the Ralph Johnson’s passage.
China says Taiwan is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States. Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the Taiwan issue needs to be handled properly to avoid a negative impact on Sino-U.S. relations.
Reuters goes on to report:
“Some individuals in the United States are sending the wrong signals to pro-independence forces in Taiwan, and that’s very dangerous,” Xi told Biden on a video call.
“If the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two countries.”
Over the past few years, Hong Kong has been totally taken over by China. COVID was used as the vehicle to destroy individual rights and punish the country that once was rated one of the freest countries in the world. With Hong Kong taken over by the Chinese, the next country it is focusing on is Taiwan.
The people of Taiwan speak the same language as China and this has helped the tiny country prosper over the past few decades as the world moved business to China due to its cheap labor. There are strong ties between the two countries as a result. However, there is still a lot of animosity in Taiwan towards China. The people of the small island nation enjoy their independence and autonomy.
Many believe that China may soon invade Taiwan in a similar fashion as Russia did with Ukraine. Tensions are high between these countries. China believes Taiwan is part of their country. The people of Taiwan beg to differ.
It is concerning therefore to hear Xi say “”Some individuals in the United States are sending the wrong signals to pro-independence forces in Taiwan, and that’s very dangerous”.
China’s remarks are very concerning. They know now is the time to take over Taiwan as they did with Hong Kong. But Taiwan will not go peacefully.
