Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence reportedly spotted three People’s Liberation Army navy vessels and one warplane near the Island on Thursday. It also tracked one of China’s aircraft carriers passing through the Bashi Strait, one of the busiest maritime boundaries in the world, shared by Taiwan and the Philippines.
According to Antony Blinken, the Bashi Strait carries 50% of the world’s commercial traffic daily and is of great significance to the global economy.
China issued a strong condemnation of the meeting, with their foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Neng telling reporters at a regular briefing, “China will take firm and forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and warning that the US was on a “wrong and dangerous road”.
The meeting between President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-Wen and Speaker of House Kevin McCarthy on US grounds is known to be the first since 1979.
Many perceived the visit as US support for the sovereignty and separation of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, and as escalation of the ongoing US-China conflict, with Tsai telling reporters, ‘Their presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated, and we are not alone’.
[PLA photo by Chen Tanggui]