Escalating tensions lead to fears of US/China conflict over Taiwan
Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells. Stock photo
Sep. 6 - Mounting tensions between the US and China have led to fears of a confrontation over Taiwan.
Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells.
In the last three weeks, China has announced four separate exercises along its coast, from the Bohai Gulf in the north to the East and Yellow Seas and South China Sea, along with other exercises it said were aimed at "the current security situation across the Taiwan Strait".
Meanwhile, Taiwan, claimed by China as its "sacred" territory, said its surface-to-air missiles had tracked approaching Chinese fighters - details Taiwan does not normally give - as US Health Secretary Alex Azar was visiting the island this month.
Addressing the Chinese exercises, Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday the closer Chinese jets get to the island the "more actively" Taipei would respond, though it would "not escalate conflict" nor "trigger an incident".
The United States sent another warship through the Taiwan Strait this month, a few days after a US carrier group conducted an exercise in the disputed South China Sea. This week China complained a US spy plane had observed Chinese live-fire exercises.
Chinese military expert Ni Lexiong, a retired professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said it could be the first time multiple Chinese exercises were taking place at the same time.
"By simultaneously conducting drills in the three seas, it means China is testing its ability to fight enemies coming from three directions at the same time - for example from Taiwan, from Japan and from the US from the south," he said.
"Historically, frequent drills are a clear predictor of war."
Taiwan-based security and diplomatic sources say the chances of "firing off a shot while polishing the gun" - a Chinese saying for an accidental encounter setting off a broader conflict - are rising mainly because of increased US and Chinese military activity in the region.
"Neither side wants to start a conflict," said a Western diplomat looking into military activities across the Taiwan Strait. "But the frequent activities do increase the chances of an accidental conflict."
China's defence ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment; neither did the Pentagon nor US State Department. source
Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells. Stock photo
Sep. 6 - Mounting tensions between the US and China have led to fears of a confrontation over Taiwan.
Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells.
In the last three weeks, China has announced four separate exercises along its coast, from the Bohai Gulf in the north to the East and Yellow Seas and South China Sea, along with other exercises it said were aimed at "the current security situation across the Taiwan Strait".
Meanwhile, Taiwan, claimed by China as its "sacred" territory, said its surface-to-air missiles had tracked approaching Chinese fighters - details Taiwan does not normally give - as US Health Secretary Alex Azar was visiting the island this month.
Addressing the Chinese exercises, Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday the closer Chinese jets get to the island the "more actively" Taipei would respond, though it would "not escalate conflict" nor "trigger an incident".
The United States sent another warship through the Taiwan Strait this month, a few days after a US carrier group conducted an exercise in the disputed South China Sea. This week China complained a US spy plane had observed Chinese live-fire exercises.
Chinese military expert Ni Lexiong, a retired professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said it could be the first time multiple Chinese exercises were taking place at the same time.
"By simultaneously conducting drills in the three seas, it means China is testing its ability to fight enemies coming from three directions at the same time - for example from Taiwan, from Japan and from the US from the south," he said.
"Historically, frequent drills are a clear predictor of war."
Taiwan-based security and diplomatic sources say the chances of "firing off a shot while polishing the gun" - a Chinese saying for an accidental encounter setting off a broader conflict - are rising mainly because of increased US and Chinese military activity in the region.
"Neither side wants to start a conflict," said a Western diplomat looking into military activities across the Taiwan Strait. "But the frequent activities do increase the chances of an accidental conflict."
China's defence ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment; neither did the Pentagon nor US State Department. source
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