China sends warships and aircraft around Taiwan for second day

The show of force followed the meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and US house Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy welcomes Tsai Ing-wen to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

China sent warships and aircraft near Taiwan for a second day on Friday, after President Tsai Ing-wen angered Beijing by meeting with Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Three Chinese warships sailed in waters surrounding the island, while a fighter jet and an anti-submarine helicopter also crossed the island’s air defence identification zone, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said.

On Wednesday, China’s Shandong aircraft carrier, one of two in its naval fleet, sailed through Taiwan’s southeastern waters on its way to the western Pacific, hours before Ms Tsai met Mr McCarthy in Los Angeles.

Beijing, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, had repeatedly warned against the meeting, and reiterated on Thursday it would take “forceful measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty”.

Ms Tsai said her government was committed to ensuring “the free and democratic way of life of the people of Taiwan” before she left Los Angeles, where she was stopping on her way back from Latin America. “We also hope to do our best to maintain peace and stability between the two sides,” she added.

Last August, China deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets around Taiwan in its largest show of force in years following a trip to the island by Mr McCarthy’s Democrat predecessor, Nancy Pelosi. Its response to the Tsai-McCarthy meeting has so far been on a much lower level, but still left Taiwan on alert.

Premier Chen Chien-jen said on Friday Taiwan’s defence and security agencies were keeping a close eye on developments, and asked “the public to rest assured”. On Thursday, the Defence Ministry said three warships had been detected around the Taiwan Strait and one Chinese naval helicopter crossed the island’s ADIZ.

The display prompted calls from the US asking China “to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful diplomacy”.

“We remain committed to maintaining open channels of communication so as to prevent the risk of any kind of miscalculation,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

Mr McCarthy, second in line for the US presidency, had originally planned to go to Taiwan himself but opted instead to meet Ms Tsai in California.

The decision was viewed as a compromise that would underscore support for Taiwan but avoid inflaming tensions with China, a move analysts say has so far proven successful. Ms Tsai said it was “quite common for us to meet our US friends during transits”. Mr McCarthy had vowed that US arms sales to Taiwan – which infuriate Chinese leadership – would continue, in what he said was a proven strategy to dissuade aggression.

AFP