US reaffirms Taiwan’s support after China sends warplanes

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said China sent eight bombers capable of transporting nuclear weapons and four fighter jets just southwest of the island into the air defense zone. The ministry said China had sent another 16 military planes of different types to the same area on Sunday.

According to the ministry, Taiwan responded by scrambling fighters, broadcasting radio alerts and “deploying air defense missile systems to monitor activity.”

There were no immediate Chinese comments on Sunday.

The overflow was part of a long line of attacks aimed at putting pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen’s government to accept Beijing’s demand that it recognize Taiwan as part of Chinese territory.

It comes on the heels of the inauguration of President Joe Biden and highlights the island’s enduring position in the panopy of divisions between the sides, which also includes human rights, trade disputes and, more recently, questions about China’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Biden government has shown little sign of easing pressure on China on such issues, although it is seen as a preference for a return to more civil dialogue.

The State Department statement on Saturday said Washington would continue to deepen ties with Taiwan and secure its defense against Chinese threats while supporting a peaceful solution to issues between the parties.

In another sign of support for Taiwan, the island’s de-facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was an invited guest at Biden’s inauguration.

And in a final turn to China, the outgoing UN ambassador to the Trump administration tweeted that it was time for the world to face China’s efforts to exclude and isolate Taiwan, with sharp criticism from Beijing.

Ambassador Kelly Craft accompanies the tweet with a photo of herself in the UN General Assembly Hall where the island is banned. She was carrying a handbag with a stuffed Taiwan bear protruding from the top, a gift from Taiwan’s representative in New York, Ambassador James Lee.

Taiwan and China parted ways amid the civil war in 1949, and China says it is determined to bring the island under control by force if necessary. The US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but is legally obliged to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself and that the self-governing democratic island enjoys strong dual support in Washington.

Tsai sought to bolster the island’s defense by purchasing billions of dollars worth of US weapons, including upgraded F-16 fighter jets, armed drones, rocket systems and Harpoon missiles that could hit both ships and land targets. She also increased support for Taiwan’s indigenous weapons industry, including the launch of a program to build new submarines to counter China’s ever-growing naval capability.

The growing threats from China come as economic and political seduction bears little fruit, leading to war games being staged and fighter jets and reconnaissance planes being sent to the island by 24 million people almost daily.