With two nuclear-powered carrier battle groups patrolling the Philippine Sea and another forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, the United States has sent a strong message to China to stay away from Taiwan, while the former is locked in with Russia over Ukraine.
On Sunday, as tensions escalated in the island nation of Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army responded to a massive U.S. naval exercise by dispatching as many as 39 fighter jets, mainly J-10s and J-16s, into Taiwan’s Southwest Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). ) . The Taiwan Air Force resumes combat air patrols and activates a surface-to-air missile system to deter the aggressive PLA Air Force. It was the first time since October 2021 that the PLA responded to the U.S. exercise with so many fighter jets. This large-scale violation of Taiwan’s airspace by Chinese fighter jets occurred when the U.S. Navy had three aircraft carrier strike groups to support Taipei and Liberty. Navigation in the Philippine Sea. The USS Ronald Reagan stands by near Yokosuka, Japan, while the USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln patrol off Taiwan. The United States also has a large maritime presence, with the USS Essex Amphibious Readiness Group and the US Navy Expeditionary Strike Group joining the aircraft carrier. Alongside the massive carrier force are Japanese Hyuga-class helicopter destroyers, and the USS strike group deploys as many as 26 F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets.
The U.S. naval buildup near Taiwan is a clear message to China that when Washington confronts Russia over Ukraine, it cannot enter Taipei for free. “The message to China is that the US is not looking away from Beijing and wants the PLA to stay away from Taiwan until the Ukraine crisis is resolved,” said a former Indian ambassador to the US.
As the U.S.-Russia escalation over Ukraine has begun, many believe it will give President Xi a free pass to aggressively pursue China’s so-called core interests. The Biden administration has signaled to China this month that it is watching the build-up of the People’s Liberation Army in Ladakh as the India-China standoff over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) completes its second winter on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
