The United States called for calm on Thursday, just hours after a senior Chinese official pledged that Taiwan’s independence would mean war with Taipei.
John Kirby, a Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that the United States saw “no reason why tensions over Taiwan would lead to anything like a confrontation,” according to the BBC.
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Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said at a previous news conference that the recent “military activities” in the Taiwan Strait “are necessary actions to deal with the current security situation” right there, he warned: ” Those who play with fire will get burned, and ‘Independence of Taiwan’ means war. “
Kirby said the comment was “unfortunate and certainly not compatible with our intentions to fulfill our obligations under the Taiwanese Relations Act”.
Taiwan and China parted ways in the midst of a civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to bring the island under its control by force, if necessary. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but is legally obliged to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself and that the autonomous democratic island enjoys strong bipartisan support in Washington.
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Taipei accused Beijing of flying a dozen military jets in its airspace on Sunday. American observers said China plans to test President Joe Biden, who had taken an oath a few days earlier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report