US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned that Chinese raids with warplanes near Taiwan appear to be trials for military operations against Taiwan, the Financial Times reported.
“It feels a lot like exploring their abilities and rehearsals,” Austin said in a speech on Saturday.
The military power of China has grown in terms of the size and frequency of tasks in defining the Taiwanese air defense zone, which has raised doubts about the intentions of the Asian giant towards this country, to which China is defending its sovereign right.
According to the US Secretary of Defense, China is expected to quadruple its nuclear weapons arsenal by 2030.
The United States has already announced its support for Taiwan. On Friday, Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken told Reuters that a Chinese invasion would have “serious consequences” and that the world’s largest economy was committed to helping Taipei defend itself. However, he chose not to specify what kind of assistance the United States would be willing to provide.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that any country that supports pro-independence forces on Taiwan will be “playing with fire”. However, at the same time, Shi claimed that he was “patient” and that he would wait for a peaceful union.
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