2 yıl önce

No 'imminent invasion' of Taiwan by China, says US

Beijing is instead moving towards a "new normal" of increased military activity in the region, says US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Reuters

In September, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Taiwan Policy Act, in a clear indication of support from both Republicans and Democrats for changes in American policy toward Taiwan, such as treating the island as a major non-NATO ally.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he sees no imminent invasion of Taiwan by China but added Beijing was trying to establish a "new normal" with its military activities around the island.

"I don't see an imminent invasion," Austin said in an interview broadcast on CNN on Sunday.

"What we do see is China moving to establish what we would call a new normal. Increased activity – we saw a number of centre line crossings of the Taiwan Strait by their aircraft. That number has increased over time. We've seen more activity with their surface vessels and waters in and around Taiwan."

A visit to Taiwan early in August by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China, which subsequently launched military drills near the island. Those have continued, although on a much-reduced scale.

The United States and its allies responded to the drills by continuing to sail through the region. A US Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on September 20.

WATCH: China hits back at US House Speaker Pelosi's Taiwan visit

Working to 'reopen' cooperation with China

The US will continue to work with its allies and partners "to ensure that we maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific," Austin said.

The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Mao Zedong-led forces, who established the People's Republic of China.

Washington is working to reopen channels of military communication with China, something that is critical to both countries, Austin said.

China in August halted cooperation with the US in a number of areas, including dialogue between senior-level military commanders, in retaliation for Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Austin said he has communicated by phone and in person with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, who agreed that open communications were important.

"We'll do everything we can to continue to signal that we want those channels open and I would hope that China will begin to lean forward a bit more and work with us," he said.