(Central News Agency, Jakarta, comprehensive foreign news report on the 16th) Nikkei Asia reported that US Defense Secretary Austin reiterated Washington’s commitment to providing weapons to Taiwan on the 16th, which means that even if dialogue with China is resumed, the United States will continue to develop with Taiwan. military relations.
According to the report, Lloyd Austin told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Jakarta: “We are committed to taking necessary actions in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan obtain self-defense.” means.”
Austin went on to say that he did not believe anything discussed at the summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 15th would change the direction of the matter.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, also told the media on the 16th that the United States will continue to comply with the “Taiwan Relations Act” and provide Taiwan with self-defense capabilities. The White House also reiterated that the one-China policy remains unchanged and that the United States pursues peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The two leaders met for four hours on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco on the 15th, during which they agreed to resume defense dialogue. In response, Austin said: “We are encouraged by the latest news from the White House that plans to resume military communication.”
“There is no substitute for ongoing and substantive dialogue between senior leaders. So we will continue to seek pragmatic discussions with the People’s Republic of China from the senior leadership level down to the working level.”
Austin pointed out that even if the war in Ukraine continues, he will still talk to the Russian Defense Minister. “I think this is an important capability that we must maintain in the future to manage the crisis.” He suggested that the United States and China should follow the US-Russian model and establish crisis situations. communication mechanism.
While Austin expressed his happiness with the consensus reached after the meeting with Xi, he also said that the United States will remain alert to the threats posed by China.
He also reiterated that he was not happy to see the status quo in the Taiwan Strait being unilaterally changed, showing that he was still worried about China’s possible invasion of Taiwan after the meeting with Xi. “We have all said that we believe that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait will not only affect the entire region, but the entire world,” Austin said.
Austin pointed out that the United States continues to accelerate the delivery of weapons to Taiwan. While the United States assesses China’s ability to invade Taiwan, the Biden administration is working to resolve the backlog in arms sales and deliveries to Taiwan.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi Jinping told Biden at the meeting that the United States should “stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful reunification.” Austin’s statement directly contradicts the demands made by Xi Jinping.
In addition, regarding Southeast Asia, when China has repeatedly threatened the Philippines, firing water cannons and shining military-grade lasers on Philippine ships in the South China Sea, Austin called for the maintenance of a rules-based order. (Translator: Yang Zhaoyan) 1121117
