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HONG KONG – China sent fighter jets into the Taiwan Strait over the weekend in a show of force to the Biden administration that signals Beijing’s plans to keep the pressure on Taiwan even as it calls for a reset with the United States.
The Taiwanese military said four Chinese fighter jets, eight bombers and an anti-submarine plane entered its southwestern air defense identification area and crossed the center line that divides the Straits of Taiwan. This was followed by 12 fighters, two anti-submarine planes and a reconnaissance plane on Sunday.
While such exercises have been common and sometimes larger in recent years, the timing of this effort, just days after a new U.S. administration took office, has drawn attention in Taipei and Washington.
The Taiwanese military said it had sent radio alerts to Chinese planes, put defense missile systems on alert, and sent patrol planes to monitor them.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said in a statement on Saturday that the United States “notes with concern the pattern of ongoing attempts by the PRC to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan,” referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“We urge Beijing to end its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the democratically elected representatives of Taiwan,” he added.
Also on Saturday, the Theodore Roosevelt, an American aircraft carrier, entered the South China Sea with its strike group accompanying it on what the Navy described as “routine operations” aimed at “guaranteeing freedom. seas”.
While Chinese military officials haven’t necessarily planned the exercises with the new US administration in mind, timing could be of value for Beijing, said Drew Thompson, the former Pentagon official responsible for China and now. researcher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. at the National University of Singapore.
“I think it’s a mistake to assume that everything is a signal,” he said. “But certainly the operation is both militarily expeditious in terms of training and experience, but also a very useful political signal not only to Taiwan, but of course to the new Biden administration.
The Trump administration has taken a series of steps to elevate U.S. relations with Taiwan, sending high-level officials and approving arms sales. A few days before leaving office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifted rules that restricted contact between US and Taiwanese officials.
China sees self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory and should be united by force if necessary. The United States severed its formal ties with Taipei when it recognized the government in Beijing in 1979, but it still maintains extensive unofficial relations.
The Trump administration’s late moves to China, including the designation that its crackdown in far western Xinjiang was an act of genocide, has potentially complicated President Biden’s Chinese policy.
But the new officials said the United States will maintain a firm stance on China while showing support for Taiwan. Antony J. Blinken, Mr. Biden’s candidate for secretary of state, said in a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he agreed with some of the Trump administration’s views on China, but not necessarily on its tactics and that it would work more closely with the American allies.
Taiwan’s de facto Ambassador to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao, was invited to attend the inauguration of Mr. Biden, it was the first time that a representative from Taiwan had been invited to attend since 1979.
Shortly after Mr. Biden was sworn in, Beijing announced sanctions against 28 Americans, including Mr. Pompeo and other Chinese hawks who it said had “seriously violated China’s sovereignty.”
Some of those targeted were instrumental in deepening ties with Taiwan, including Alex M. Azar II, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, and former Deputy Secretary of State Keith J. Krach , who both visited Taiwan last year, and Kelly Craft. , the outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, who had a video call last week with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
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