On Friday, the Communist Chinese Party sent many military planes and naval vessels towards Taiwan, coinciding with a low-key summit between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with the objective of restoring U.S.-China ties.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that China had sent 33 military planes and six navy boats to Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Saturday local time. Thirteen aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait.
The United States and China are trying to get their ties back on track after an acrimonious couple of years, which is why the military pressure has increased. For instance, during their conversation, Sullivan and Wang reaffirmed the intention to begin a joint U.S.-China "Counternarcotics Working Group" on Tuesday in order to tackle the fentanyl issue.
According to a senior administration source on Saturday, "Mr. Sullivan stressed at the discussion that the United States and the PRC are in competition but the United States does not desire conflict or confrontation and there are areas of cooperation in the relationship."
However, the military actions China has taken in the last 24 hours may make collaboration more difficult. China's stance toward Taiwan, which it views as its territory, is a delicate source of contention in its fragile relationship with the United States, which favors Taiwan's continued position as an independent nation. Nearly every U.S.-China encounter, including the high-profile discussions between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, brings up the controversial subject.
Sullivan and Wang discussed stopping the supply of fentanyl, resuming military-to-military connections, and reducing the dangers associated with artificial intelligence during their two days of meetings in Bangkok on Thursday and Friday.
Additionally, Sullivan restated American policy for preserving Taiwan's sovereignty as it is. However, China has consistently rejected US policy and made clear that it wants to "reunify" Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.
Senior government officials have referred to this as "a moment of increased tension," which is when China is applying military pressure on Taiwan.
Voters in Taiwan have chosen Lai Ching-te, a candidate for president from the Democratic Progressive Party, to succeed them. Because he favored preserving Taiwan's current state of affairs, Lai was the least preferred choice by China. The United States braced itself for a variety of reactions from China before to that election.
A senior administration official said at the time, "There are of course always contingency talks in the U.S. government whenever we are moving into a period of increased tension. I do not want to get into things in detail, but we have to be ready for everything that might happen, from no reaction to the worst case scenario."
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that China had sent 33 military planes and six navy boats to Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Saturday local time. Thirteen aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait.
The United States and China are trying to get their ties back on track after an acrimonious couple of years, which is why the military pressure has increased. For instance, during their conversation, Sullivan and Wang reaffirmed the intention to begin a joint U.S.-China "Counternarcotics Working Group" on Tuesday in order to tackle the fentanyl issue.
According to a senior administration source on Saturday, "Mr. Sullivan stressed at the discussion that the United States and the PRC are in competition but the United States does not desire conflict or confrontation and there are areas of cooperation in the relationship."
However, the military actions China has taken in the last 24 hours may make collaboration more difficult. China's stance toward Taiwan, which it views as its territory, is a delicate source of contention in its fragile relationship with the United States, which favors Taiwan's continued position as an independent nation. Nearly every U.S.-China encounter, including the high-profile discussions between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, brings up the controversial subject.
Sullivan and Wang discussed stopping the supply of fentanyl, resuming military-to-military connections, and reducing the dangers associated with artificial intelligence during their two days of meetings in Bangkok on Thursday and Friday.
Additionally, Sullivan restated American policy for preserving Taiwan's sovereignty as it is. However, China has consistently rejected US policy and made clear that it wants to "reunify" Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.
Senior government officials have referred to this as "a moment of increased tension," which is when China is applying military pressure on Taiwan.
Voters in Taiwan have chosen Lai Ching-te, a candidate for president from the Democratic Progressive Party, to succeed them. Because he favored preserving Taiwan's current state of affairs, Lai was the least preferred choice by China. The United States braced itself for a variety of reactions from China before to that election.
A senior administration official said at the time, "There are of course always contingency talks in the U.S. government whenever we are moving into a period of increased tension. I do not want to get into things in detail, but we have to be ready for everything that might happen, from no reaction to the worst case scenario."
