Taipei/ Washington/ Beijing: On Friday, two warships of the seventh fleet of the US Navy patrolled in the Taiwan maritime region. Moreover, for the first time, the ruling parties of Japan and Taiwan held security dialogue, wherein they mainly discussed the threat posed by China. China has been rocked by this growing cooperation between the US and Japan in Taiwan. Besides, it has launched a campaign against the two countries. China’s Defence Ministry has blamed US warships for the patrol. Furthermore, Chinese media has criticised that the discussions between Japan and Taiwan display that Japan is acting as a US pawn.
Over the last few months, China seems to have become more aggressive against the Taiwan issue. Hence, the United States and its allies have taken an aggressive stance to counter Chinese aggression. They have also accelerated this process. Former US President Donald Trump had taken steps to corner China over Taiwan’s issue. New President Joe Biden also seems to have maintained the policy. A few days ago, the Biden administration had announced the provision of advanced defence machinery to Taiwan. Following that, the US warship patrol near Taiwan seems to be a part of aggressive US strategy.
USS Kid and USCG Munro, part of the seventh armoured division of the US Navy, performed transit at the maritime region near Taiwan on Friday. The seventh armoured division stated that the patrol is part of the US commitment to the free and open Indo-Pacific region. The US Naval Institute claimed that the US Navy’s patrolling is important against the backdrop of China’s ongoing practice in the South China Sea.
Furthermore, China reacted strongly to the US Navy’s campaign. ‘Taiwan is an integral part of China. Also, no interference in its internal transactions will be tolerated. The patrolling of the US Navy is a provocative event for China. This incident shows that the United States is at the highest risk to peace and stability in the region and we strongly condemn the incident, the Chinese Defence Ministry warned in a statement.
As US warships began patrolling, Japan and Taiwan’s ruling parties held a security dialogue on Friday. The talks are considered a part of efforts to strengthen political cooperation with Taiwan. The discussion was attended by two MPs, each from Japan‘s LDP and Taiwan’s DPP. According to media reports, China’s threat, maritime cooperation, defence and trade issues were discussed for over an hour and a half. This is the first time that Japan has discussed the issue of China with Taiwan independently.
China has well-received Japan’s growing cooperation with Taiwan. The Chinese media has taken Japan by storm on this issue. The talks with Taiwan are an indication that Japan is acting as a pawn for the United States, a government spokesman told the Global Times. At the same time, he has threatened that if Japan takes action against China on the Taiwan issue, the consequences will not be good. The growing proximity between Japan and Taiwan could be a provocative factor, Chinese media warned. While the Chinese media is threatening, two Chinese patrol boats have infiltrated the area near Senkaku Island in Japan.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has decided to increase its defence spending in the face of growing threats from China. According to the ruling party, Taiwan will spend $16.89 billion on defence forces in 2022. The proposal calls for an increase in the fleet of fighter jets and an increase in stockpiles of warships, submarines and missiles.
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