China warns: stop meddling in Taiwan

The former head of the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command is in Taipei to meet President Tsai Ing-wen, amid accusations of ‘reckless warmongering’ from Beijing.

Retired US Rear Admiral Philip Davidson.

The former head of the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command – known for his stark assessment that China may attack Taiwan by 2027 – has flown into Taipei to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and her top security officials, amid accusations of “reckless warmongering” from Beijing.

Retired Admiral Philip Davidson arrived in Taipei on Monday for a five-night-trip that will include meetings with Ms Tsai and other senior Taiwanese security officials to discuss Taiwan’s military preparedness, as concerns rise about Beijing’s intentions.

American officials told The Australian that Mr Davidson, who ­retired in 2021, was visiting ­Taiwan as a “private citizen”.

The visit took place as Beijing erupted over an explosive leaked memo by a top American air force general that predicted the US and China would go to war over Taiwan in 2025.

China’s foreign ministry warned America on Monday night to “stop military contact” with Ms Tsai’s government.

“Stop meddling in the Taiwan question, stop military contact with Taiwan and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” ­Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

The latest diplomatic spat came days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits ­Beijing, the first trip to China by a cabinet secretary from President Joe Biden’s administration.

International focus on Beijing’s intentions towards Taiwan – a liberal democracy of 24 million, which the Communist Party claims as its territory but has never ruled – has increased dramatically since Russia invaded Ukraine last February.

Beijing has argued that it wants a “peaceful reunification” of Taiwan, but maintains its right to use force if necessary.

A ramp up in activity by Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army has raised concerns over Taiwan, one of the dominant centres of the world’s semiconductor industry.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Picture: Getty Images

In a highly unusual move given their lack of formal ties, Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke to Ms Tsai late on Monday.

“I thanked her for her congratulations and I assured her that Taiwan and the Czech ­Republic share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” said Mr Pavel, a retired general who served as the head of NATO’s military committee from 2015-2018.

China’s foreign ministry said the call had taken place “despite China’s repeated dissuasion and démarches” and said it was a “blatant violation” of Prague’s political commitment to Beijing.

“We urge the Czech Republic to take immediate and effective measures to correct the wrongdoing, undo the negative impact of this incident and credibly abide by the one-China principle,” said Ms Mao, the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman.

Taiwan’s security was also ­discussed in a meeting in Paris on Monday between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles and French Armed Forces Minister ­Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Col­onna.

The French and Australian ministers “called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion”, according to their joint statement.

They also “reaffirmed their shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo in the strait”, in comments that were welcomed by Taiwan’s foreign ministry.

That meeting took place days after the leaking of a blunt memo by head of US Air Mobility Command, General Mike Minihan, to his top commanders.

“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” he wrote.

Party-state mouthpiece China Daily said the “reckless warmongering words” were part of a pattern of “constantly stoking tensions across the Taiwan Strait”.

A Pentagon spokesman has clarified that General Minihan’s analysis was “not representative of the department’s view on China”.

Mr Biden and his Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, have both recently said they did not think any invasion of Taiwan was imminent, although the administration has warned about Beijing’s attempt to use means short of war to “endeavour to establish a new normal”.

Speaking in Japan before his trip to Taiwan, Retired Admiral Davidson said his widely reported comments in a 2021 senate hearing about his concerns that China would take military action by 2027 were focused on military actions short of an “all-out invasion”.

“One of those would be the threats to outer islands, and I think it’s a grave security concern of Taiwan’s,” he said last week.

Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng in June 2021 told parliamentarians in Taipei that China might attempt an invasion in 2025.

Months later, a top Taiwan ­security official said China had ­internally debated whether to ­attack the Pratas atoll – which is administered by Taiwan, but claimed by Beijing – but decided not do so before 2024.