Tensions in Taiwan, US and Chinese defense chiefs accuse each other

Top military leaders from the United States and China attended the Shangri-La Dialogue over the weekend in Singapore accusing each other of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait. As Voice of America correspondent Arash Arabasadi reports, the increased rhetoric comes after increasingly tense training maneuvers in the region.

At first, it was a Chinese fighter jet that carried out an aerial maneuver over the South China Sea late last month that jolted a US reconnaissance aircraft, in a move the United States called "aggressive and unnecessary".

A few days later, in the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from mainland Asia, a Chinese destroyer maneuvered close to a US warship.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the move "irresponsible" while the US Navy called it "unsafe".

These incidents had set the stage for a war of words between the United States and China at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The meeting is an annual gathering of the world's militaries and a platform for networking and de-escalation ideas.

Instead, the military chiefs of the two countries exchanged words about recent events in the South China Sea.

"The People's Republic of China continues to conduct an alarming number of dangerous interceptions of US and allied aircraft flying lawfully in international airspace. We will support our allies and partners as they defend themselves against coercion and bullying. To be clear, we do not seek conflict or confrontation," said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“To really avoid these incidents… the best way is for countries – especially their naval vessels and warplanes – not to take action near other countries' territorial seas and airspaces. To put it plainly: mind your own business and take care of your people," said Li Shangfu, Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China.

Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu delivers a speech on the last day of the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, June 4, 2023.

Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu delivers a speech on the last day of the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, June 4, 2023.

Zoti Li kishte refuzuar kërkesat e sekretarit Austin për t'u takuar.

Ndërsa ministri i Mbrojtjes i Kinës në thelb u tha Shteteve të Bashkuara të shihnin punët e veta, ishte Kina në fillim të këtij viti ajo që dërgoi një tullumbace spiunazhi nëpër Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe Kanada, duke mbledhur informacione, ndër të tjera, mbi zonat ushtarake amerikane.

Ligjvënësit thonë se Kina ka shkuar shumë larg.

“Ka një lloj ndjenje lejueshmërie. Mendoj se administrata Biden duhet të veprojë dhe ta bëjë të qartë se Kina e ka identifikuar veten si një kundërshtar dhe duhet trajtuar si e tillë."

Beijing has for years opposed US support for Taiwan, publicly expressing disapproval of US lawmakers meeting with the island's leaders, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently did in California.

The US State Department calls Taiwan a key partner in the region. China views the self-governing island as a renegade province. /VOA