HONG KONG – China sent warplanes to the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, a show of strength for the Biden government that signals Beijing’s plans to maintain pressure on Taiwan, even when it calls for a readjustment with the United States.
Taiwan’s military said four Chinese fighter jets, eight bombers and an anti-submarine aircraft entered the southwestern air defense identification zone and crossed the midline that divides the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. Then 12 fighters, two anti-submarine aircraft and a reconnaissance aircraft on Sunday.
While such exercises have been common and sometimes greater in recent years, the timing of this effort, just days after the inauguration of a new American government, has drawn attention in both Taipei and Washington.
The Taiwanese military said it had sent radio warnings to Chinese planes, placed defense missile systems on alert and dispatched patrol aircraft to monitor them.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement released on Saturday that the United States “notes with concern the pattern of the PRC’s continued attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan,” referring to the People’s Republic of China .
“We urge Beijing to end its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” he added.
Also on Saturday, Theodore Roosevelt, an American aircraft carrier, entered the South China Sea with its attack group that accompanied it in what the Navy described as “routine operations” to “guarantee the freedom of the seas”.
While Chinese military officials did not necessarily plan exercises with the new American administration in mind, the timing may be of value to Beijing, said Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official in charge of China and now a researcher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in National University of Singapore.
“I think it is a mistake to assume that everything is a sign,” he said. “But certainly the operation is militarily expedient in terms of training and experience, but also a very useful political signal not only for Taiwan, but, of course, for the new Biden government.”
The Trump administration has taken a series of steps to elevate the United States’ relationship with Taiwan, sending senior officials and approving the sale of weapons. Days before leaving office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifted rules that restricted contacts between American and Taiwanese officials.
China considers Taiwan’s autonomous government to be part of its territory, which should be united by force if necessary. The United States broke formal ties with Taipei when it recognized the government in Beijing in 1979, but still maintains extensive unofficial relations.
The Trump administration’s late moves towards China, including the designation that its crackdown in western Xinjiang was an act of genocide, potentially complicating President Biden’s policy towards China.
But the new officials said the United States would maintain a tough stance on China, while showing support for Taiwan. Antony J. Blinken, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, said at a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he agreed with some of the Trump administration’s views on China, but not necessarily with his tactics and that he would work more closely with American allies.
Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao, was invited to attend Mr. Biden’s inauguration, the first time that a Taiwanese representative has been invited to attend since 1979.
Shortly after Biden was sworn in, Beijing announced sanctions against 28 Americans, including Pompeo and other Chinese hawks who “seriously violated China’s sovereignty.”
Some of the targets played roles in deepening ties with Taiwan, including Alex M. Azar II, the former secretary of health and human services, and the former Under Secretary of State Keith J. Krach, who visited Taiwan last year, and Kelly Craft, the outgoing ambassador to the United Nations, who held a video call last week with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.