The US needs to maintain security and ensure the peaceful resolution of disputes in the Pacific region, as a cross-strait crisis would be “bad for the entire world,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Blinken was asked in an interview on Canadian television channel TVA Montreal if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns in Washington about the risk of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
“It is a worry to us because ... [we] are seeing more repression in China and more aggression on the outside, including on Taiwan,” Blinken said.
Photo: REUTERS
Taiwan’s 50 years of success — made possible by the peace and stability that prevail in the region — could be jeopardized by an increasingly assertive Beijing, he said.
“Maritime trade in that area represents 50 percent of global trade every day,” he added.
Most of the world’s smartphones and other devices use semiconductors made in Taiwan, he said.
As a crisis in Taiwan “will be bad for the entire world,” the US must “maintain security ... [and] resolve issues” in the Pacific region peacefully, he said.
The US top diplomat has in the past few weeks issued a series of warnings about the risk of war in the Taiwan Strait.
Speaking at Stanford University on Monday last week, Blinken said that Beijing plans to annex Taiwan on a “much faster timeline” and has decided that the “status quo” is no longer acceptable.
He reiterated the statement two days later at a US Department of State news conference.
Separately, Lieutenant General James Jarrard, deputy commanding general for the US Army Pacific, at a teleconference hosted by the Pentagon on Thursday said that the US is “doing everything we can to prevent and deter tensions from escalating into a crisis or even a conflict” between Taiwan and China.
The US is working with its allies and partners toward preserving “a peaceful environment” in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
Jarrard refused to comment on the likelihood of Taiwan participating as an observer in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Capability (JPMRC) exercise taking place in Hawaii from tomorrow to Nov. 9.
“We are continuing to provide assistance to Taiwan, just like we have done previously, and want to make sure that we are doing what we can to help them maintain the status quo, just as our senior civilian leaders have directed us to,” he said.
JPMRC rotation 23-01 is a multinational exercise involving the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division, 354 participants from the armies of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, and observers from 12 countries.
The drills at the newly established Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center are designed to improve the readiness and capabilities of US and allied forces when conducting joint operations on archipelago and jungle terrain common to the region, the US Army Pacific said.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS