In reaction to China’s “provocative” behavior, the United States would increase commerce with Taiwan, the White House announced on Friday. The White House also insisted on the right of air and sea travel in the sensitive strait.
In the next days, a new trade agreement will be presented, and in the coming weeks, US military will cross the Taiwan Strait, according to Kurt Campbell, the White House’s coordinator for Asia-Pacific matters and President Joe Biden’s advisor.
The announcement came after Beijing launched its biggest-ever military exercises surrounding the self-governing island in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit there last week.
Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, the highest-ranking elected American politician to visit in decades, has been blamed by Taiwan for China starting drills it claims are a practice for an invasion.
Taiwan is seen as Chinese territory that may one day be taken over by force.
Campbell said that China had “overreacted” and that Pelosi’s visit was “compatible” with Washington’s current strategy.
He said that Beijing exploited the excuse to “start an escalated pressure campaign on Taiwan to try to alter the status quo, endangering peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the larger region.”
“China has overreacted and its actions continue to be unprecedented, aggressive, and disruptive.”
The United States is reasserting its presence in the region in reaction to China’s drills and affirming its “strategic ambiguity” policy, which calls for diplomatic recognition of China while still promoting Taiwan’s self-rule.
The government, according to Campbell, “will continue to develop our relationships with Taiwan, notably by advancing our economic and commercial partnership,”
He stated, “For instance, we’re creating an ambitious plan for trade discussions, which we intend to make public in the next few days.
The United States would assert its right to utilize international air and maritime space between Taiwan and China, according to Campbell.
As part of our ongoing commitment to freedom of navigation, US troops “will continue to fly, sail, and operate whenever international law permits.”
In the coming weeks, he added, “that includes making regular air and marine transits via the Taiwan Strait.”
Campbell said he had no “comments regarding either the form of our crossings or the dates over the Taiwan Strait,” declining to clarify what kind of deployment would be made to assist the operations.
In a statement on Saturday that referred to Washington’s “concrete measures to protect security in the Taiwan Strait and peace in the area,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry praised the United States for its “strong support” and expressed gratitude.