An unprovoked attack on Taiwan by China would result in “more robust” consequences than those Russia is facing over its invasion of Ukraine, the commander of the US Pacific Air Forces said on Monday.
As Beijing watches the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is hopefully learning the solidarity of the global community in opposing “an unprovoked attack on a neighbor,” General Kenneth Wilsbach said during a discussion streamed online by the US Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and covered by Air Force Magazine.
China hopefully recognizes that if it moves similarly against Taiwan or another neighbor, “something more robust will happen,” Wilsbach said, adding that such an attack would “provide solidarity” for nations to come together in opposition.
Photo: AP
Wilsbach also chuckled at Beijing’s accusation that the US is trying to form a “NATO of the Pacific,” saying it is China’s own actions that are inspiring such talk.
If it does attack Taiwan, China would also have to contend with inhospitable terrain and regional opposition, he said.
As for the military relationship between China and Russia, Wilsbach said that although they cooperate, their forces are not interoperable.
Photo: screen grab from US Air Force website
“There’s been a couple of other exercises that we’ve seen them do together, but I would not say that they’re interoperable in any way,” he said. “Their systems are quite different.”
They also have a competitive power dynamic, with each side believing they should be the leader, he said, adding that he was “fairly happy with that tension.”
That is in contrast to the interoperability of US, Japanese, South Korean, Australian and other regional forces — an advantage that China recognizes, Wilsbach said.
“We fly with them routinely and we’re interoperable,” he said. “We’re flying a lot of the same equipment. We’re even data-linking together in some cases and the tactics are very similar.”
Joint activity between China and Russia has also declined, with Russia “pretty well occupied” in Ukraine, he added.
Saying that China is being “pretty cautious” to avoid getting caught up in the backlash against Russia, Wilsbach said “it still is very surprising that they’ve come up with the support rhetoric that they have.”
At the same time, the US Air Force has continued conducting daily exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, although now they are “fully integrated” with the US Navy and Marine Corps “to demonstrate what US forces can do in that part of the world,” he said.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS