The U.S. Defense Modernization Program for Taiwan: A First Step toward a Stable, Open and Open Indo-Pacific Regime
When President Joe Biden first declared that the United States had an obligation to protect Taiwan should China move on it, his words were written off by some as a casual, if unfortunate, mischaracterization of American policy.
In November of last year, VP Biden met Chinese leader Xi at the G20 summit in Indonesia for the first time. Afterward, Biden described the three-hour meeting as “open and candid,” and cast doubt on an imminent invasion of Taiwan.
In July, as Nancy Pelosi was about to leave for Taiwan with a congressional delegation, the US president spoke with Xi and told him that those who play with fire will die.
The Biden administration quietly tried to discourage Pelosi from taking that trip, which caused a sharp decline in relations between the US and China. In response, Beijing launched military drills around the island and shut off nearly all communication with US officials, including through military channels meant to prevent unintentional conflict.
Taiwan lies fewer than 110 miles (177 kilometers) off the coast of China. The two sides have been governed separately for more than 70 years, but the Chinese Communist Party still insists it is its own.
We agree with what we signed up for a long time ago. Taiwan makes their own judgments about independence, because of the one China policy. We are not moving – we’re not encouraging their being independent. He said that the decision was theirs.
Taiwan has responded by tasking air patrol aircraft, navy vessels, and land-based missile systems after 71 Chinese aircraft were spotted around the island.
The flights are part of a drill that will take place next week in the Western Pacific, following naval exercises by a Chinese aircraft carrier group.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden signed a sweeping new defense bill into law that included the establishment of a defense modernization program for Taiwan to deter Chinese aggression.
The Taiwanese defense ministry responded in a statement Sunday night that it has confidence in defending its sovereignty. “The actions of the Chinese Communist Party highlighted its mentality of using force to resolve differences, which undermines regional peace and stability,” it said.
“The cooperation between Taiwan and the United States will help safeguard a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific region. The military will continue to strengthen military preparedness based on enemy threats and self-defense needs,” it added.
First results from bilateral climate talks between China and Japan revealed by a series of drills east of Okinawa, the southernmost island in the Pacific Ocean
Formal bilateral talks on climate cooperation are expected to resume as well as part of a broader set of agreements between Biden and Xi – with China having previously halted talks as part of retaliation for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Last Friday, China also conducted a series of military drills close to Japan’s southern Okinawa island in the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese authorities.
The Chinese navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, as well as two destroyers and a frigate, sailed about 560 kilometers (about 348 miles) east of Kitadaito Island, located off Okinawa’s east coast, on December 21, according to Japan’s Joint Staff. The vessels also sailed roughly 120 kilometers (74 miles) east of Okinotorishima, located further southeast, on December 22.
Then on Friday, around 180 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters took off and landed on the Liaoning aircraft carrier, according to Japan’s defense ministry.
The Japan’s Ministry of Defense and Self- Defense forces responded by sending two escort ships to collect information.
Tensions between China and Japan have also been rising steadily, with Beijing growing its naval and air forces in areas near Japan. The Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited Japanese controlled chain in the East China Sea, is also claimed by China.
Japan unveiled a new security plan in the middle of the month that signals the country’s biggest military build up since World War II as it faces growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia.