: U.S. Defense Secretary Says China’s Military Activity Around Taiwan Threatens Region #WorldNEWS (SINGAPORE) — U. S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed American support for Taiwan on

U.S. Defense Secretary Says China’s Military Activity Around Taiwan Threatens Region #WorldNEWS
(SINGAPORE) — U. S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed American support for Taiwan on Saturday, suggesting at Asias premier defense forum that recent Chinese military activity around the self-governing island threatens to change the status quo.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin noted a “steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,” including almost daily military flights near the island by the Peoples Republic of China.
“Our policy hasnt changed, but unfortunately that doesnt seem to be true for the PRC,” he said.
Austin said Washington remains committed to the “one-China policy,” which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei.
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Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it.
China has stepped up its military provocations against democratic Taiwan in recent years, aimed at intimidating it into accepting Beijing’s demands to unify with the communist mainland.
“We remain focused on maintaining peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” Austin said in his address. “But the PRCs moves threaten to undermine security, and stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. ”
He drew a parallel with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that the “indefensible assault on a peaceful neighbor has galvanized the world and has reminded us all of the dangers of undercutting an international order rooted in rules and respect. ”
Austin said that the “rules-based international order matters just as much in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe. ”
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all,” he said. “It’s what happens when big powers decide that their imperial appetites matter more than the rights of their peaceful neighbors. And it’s a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in. ”
Austin met Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the conference for discussions where Taiwan featured prominently, according to a senior American defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide details of the private meeting.
Austin made clear at the meeting that while the U. S. does not support Taiwanese independence, it also has major concerns about Chinas recent behavior and suggested that Beijing might be attempting to change the status quo.