Chinese army conducts military exercises off Taiwan
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As Biden attempts to clean up his threats to China over Taiwan, Chinese armed forces organize military exercises near Taiwan aiming at "warning the United States."
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China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. (Reuters)
The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army of China said Wednesday that the Chinese armed forces have organized military exercises near Taiwan, with the goal of "warning the United States."
During his visit to Japan on Monday, US President Joe Biden stated that the US is prepared to intervene militarily on the side of Taiwan in the event of an "invasion or unilateral attempts to change the status quo."
In a statement, the military stressed that "recently, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army organized joint combat readiness patrols and military exercises in the sea and air space around the island of Taiwan," stressing that this was "a serious warning due to the recent activity between the US and Taiwan."
On Monday, US President Joe Biden said that the United States will defend Taiwan militarily if "China were to invade the island," warning that China is "flirting with danger."
However, the US president made a contradictory remark on Tuesday, stressing that Washington's "strategic ambiguity" policy for Taiwan remains in place.
Beijing, in response, said it was ready to defend its national interests over Taiwan.
"No one should underestimate the firm resolve, staunch will, and strong ability of the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Biden's latest statement follows similar insistence from top US officials that a decades-old approach to Taiwan must be maintained.
This includes arming the island for self-defense while recognizing China's legal sovereignty and expressing "strategic ambiguity" about whether US troops would ever intervene.
It is worth mentioning that Biden has just concluded his debut tour of Asia during which he held talks with Quad leaders from Australia, India, and Japan. He previously visited South Korea as part of a trip to strengthen key US trade and military alliances in Asia.
