President Biden’s Administration affirmed support for Taiwan after Chinese Threat

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The new administration of US President Joe Biden has shown anger as Chinese air force planes including 12 fighter jets entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. On Saturday, 8 Chinese bomber planes and 4 fighter jets flew into Taiwan’s defense zone in the South China Sea. Point to be noted that 15 flew into the same air space on Sunday. The defense ministry of Taiwan said that China sent six J-10 fighters, four J-16s, two SU-30s, a Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft, and two Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft. Taiwan’s air force was sent up to respond. The ministry issued a statement and said, “Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defense missile systems deployed to monitor the activity”. China hasn’t yet issued comments regarding the issue.

The ministry has previously said that such actions are designed at defending the country’s sovereignty and aimed to act as a warning against collusion between the United States and Taiwan. It is noteworthy that China views democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan has increased military activity near the island in the past few months, which enjoys strong bipartisan support in Washington. But, the recent activities from China marked a ratcheting up with fighter jets and bombers being dispatched instead of reconnaissance aircraft as had generally been the case in recent weeks. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the US Department of State, Ned Price said, “It notes with concern the pattern of China’s ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan. We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives”.

The statement also added, “Washington will continue to deepen ties with Taiwan and ensure its defense from Chinese threats while supporting a peaceful resolution of issues between the sides. Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region”. A senior legislator for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Lo Chih-cheng informed a news outlet and said, “China was trying to deter the new US government from backing the island. It’s sending a message to the Biden administration”. The latest Chinese move came on the heels of Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. On Sunday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed its thanks for the show of US support and said it would work closely with the Biden administration to strengthen their partnership.