- Warplanes of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ramped up their presence in the zone on Oct. 1, which marked the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). By Tuesday, a record number of 56 aircraft flew into the area.
- The warplanes included fighter jets and bombers. While most of them headed southwest of the zone, some flew to the southeast section, which happens to be close to a military zone in eastern Taiwan, according to the South China Morning Post.
- The PLA has reportedly dispatched warplanes nearly every day in the past year, but the last few days also saw their arrival at night. This left Taiwanese defense forces scrambling in response, as well as fearing that any misjudgment could lead to an escalation.
- Speaking to legislators on Wednesday, Chiu described the current situation as “the most severe in the 40 years since I’ve enlisted.” He said China has the ability to attack the island now, but a “full-scale” invasion will likely occur in 2025.
- Chiu’s military believe that 2025 will mark the maturity of China’s anti-intervention and blockade capabilities around the Taiwan Strait, according to CNN. By then, Beijing, in theory, would be able to keep the cost of war at a minimum.
- “If you’re out, the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, you’re watching it day to day, we have a significant amount of capability forward in the region to tamp down any such potential,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last Friday. “We have good relations, of course, with Taiwan. We have commitments to Taiwan that are enduring since the 1970s. And central to that is helping the Taiwanese with their self-defense capabilities.”
- White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed China’s incursions at a briefing on Monday. “We remain concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations and undermines regional peace and stability,” she said, adding that the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the same response in Paris on Wednesday.
- A bipartisan pair of lawmakers — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) — also expressed support in a letter to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday. They cited federal law and commitments the U.S. had made during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. “For decades, Congress has been one of Taiwan’s strongest allies in upholding America’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. You can count on our continued support in ensuring Taiwan remains one of our most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region,” they wrote.
- President Joe Biden himself said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and that they had agreed to abide by the “Taiwan agreement.” Under the policy, Washington recognizes China over Taiwan as long as Beijing refrains from attacking the island, according to NPR.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.