Amid tensions with China over Nancy Pelosi’s trip, the US says its planes will continue to monitor Taiwan
The US official also said that the US aircraft carrier battle group will stay in the Taiwan area to monitor the situation.
Washington:
The United States said on Thursday that China’s launch of 11 ballistic missiles around Taiwan was an overreaction to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
However, White House spokesman John Kirby said that a task force aboard the US aircraft carrier, which is sailing east of Taiwan, will remain in the area to monitor the situation after China conducts the calls. Military live-fire drills.
“China has chosen to overreact and use the speaker’s visit as an excuse to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait,” Kirby told reporters.
Kirby called China’s actions part of a “manufacturing crisis” but also said Beijing was trying to change the regional balance of power.
“It’s also an excuse to try to elevate … and really try to establish a new status quo, to reach a new normal that they think they can hold,” says Kirby. everything.
“And my point made here today is to make it clear that we will not accept a new status quo.”
“The temperature is pretty high,” Kirby said.
“Tensions can be reduced very easily when China stops military exercises and launches missiles in and around the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Kirby confirmed reports that the Pentagon had postponed a scheduled test launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile to avoid stoking tensions.
“We don’t believe it’s our interests, Taiwan’s interests, the region’s interests to allow tensions to escalate further,” Kirby said.
“As China engages in destabilizing military exercises around Taiwan, the United States is instead demonstrating the behavior of a responsible nuclear power by mitigating computational risk.” mistake.”
However, he said the US Navy’s USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier task force would stay in the area.
According to a Chinese military-backed research group, the South China Sea Exploration Initiative, the Reagan was about 600 miles (1,000 km) from Taiwan on Wednesday.
Kirby said the carrier strike group has been asked by the Pentagon to “stay in the common area to monitor the situation.”
“We will not be prevented from operating in the waters and skies of the Western Pacific in accordance with international law, as we have for decades, supporting Taiwan and defending an Indian Ocean. “The Pacific is free and open,” he added.
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