China exercises around Taiwan to warn US

A previous exercise of the Chinese air force and navy near the Taiwan Strait – Photo: PLA

According to China’s CGTN, spokesman Shi Yi of the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army reaffirmed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.

Shi said the Eastern War Zone is determined to protect the national territory and the peace and stability of the region.

According to Shi, China’s Eastern Theater Command recently carried out a patrol and exercise in the air and sea around Taiwan.

“This is a solemn warning against the recent collusion between the US and Taiwan,” Shi said.

“It is hypocritical and useless for the US to say one thing and do another on the Taiwan issue,” the spokesman added.

The latest exercise is said to be in response to US President Joe Biden’s latest statement regarding Taiwan.

Speaking during a trip to Asia on May 23, President Biden answered “yes” unequivocally when asked by reporters whether the US would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan if China attacked. labour.

“That’s the commitment we made. We accept the ‘One China’ policy, but the idea of ​​controlling Taiwan by force is not appropriate,” Biden added.

Although Mr. Biden said there was no change in US policy, the statement still angered China.

Spokesman Zhou Feng Lien of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China warned that the US was “playing with fire”. Mr. Zhou said that Washington was using the “Taiwan card” to contain Beijing and “will be burned”.

According to Reuters news agency, despite adhering to the “One China” policy, the US still has commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act. The law, which has been in effect since 1979, stipulates that even though it has no official relations with Taiwan, the US government needs to provide weapons to ensure that Taipei has the ability to defend itself.