File Picture : Twitter/ ANI
The United States has condemned the Chinese military drills in Taiwan Strait and described it as an action that is at odds with the longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.
“Overnight, the People’s Republic of China launched an estimated 11 ballistic missiles towards Taiwan, which impacted to the northeast, the east, and southeast of the island,” John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications told reporters.
“We condemn these actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” Kirby said.
China has chosen to overreact and use the visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait, he said.
The United States, he noted, had anticipated that China might take steps like these. “We also expect that these actions will continue and that the Chinese will continue to react in coming days. The United States is prepared for what Beijing chooses to do. We will not seek, nor do we want, a crisis,” he said.
At the same time, the United States, he said, will not be deterred from operating in the seas and the skies of the Western Pacific, consistent with international law, as the US has been supporting Taiwan and defending a free and open Indo-Pacific for decades.
To that end, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday directed that the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the ships in her strike group will remain on station in the general area to monitor the situation, Kirby said.
