YOKOSOKA, Japan (September 28) (Reuters) – US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday condemned China’s “disturbing” actions in the Pacific while vowing to deepen “informal relations” with Taiwan, days after the US administration pledged that its forces will defend the island. .
Harris made the remarks on board the destroyer USS Howard during a visit to the world’s largest US naval facility in Yokosuka, near the Japanese capital.
“China is undermining key elements of the rules-based international order,” said Harris, who is on a four-day trip to Asia.
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“China has displayed its military and economic power to coerce and intimidate its neighbors. We have seen worrying behavior in the East and South China Seas, and recently we have seen provocations across the Taiwan Strait.”
The remarks to the white-clad American sailors came after US President Joe Biden, in an interview broadcast on September 18, vowed to defend the island of Taiwan, which is claimed by China, against an “unprecedented attack.” Read more
The United States supports the “one China” policy, which officially recognizes only Beijing but obligates the US government to provide democratically governed Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
China says Taiwan is one of its provinces. It has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.
Taiwan’s government strongly opposes China’s claims to sovereignty and says only the island’s 23 million residents can decide its future.
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, infuriating China, which then conducted its largest military exercises across the island.
Harris said US forces in the region will operate “relentlessly and without fear” even as the United States expects continued aggressive actions from China.
“We will continue to oppose any unilateral change to the status quo,” she said. “And we will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense, consistent with our long-standing policy. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy that contributes to the global good – from technology to health, and beyond, and the United States will continue to deepen our informal ties.”
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular media briefing that the United States needs to return to the one-China policy and “make it unequivocally clear that it opposes all separatist activities in Taiwan.”
escalation of tension
Harris’ trip to Japan, Washington’s closest regional ally, was intended to reassure allies and deter any escalation.
Aides said Harris would work on a unified approach in a region where leaders are wary of escalating tensions between the United States and China.
The base where Harris occurs is home to 24,000 military and civilian workers who could be called upon in a regional conflict. It is also the home of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier now in South Korea to participate in joint exercises aimed at deterring North Korea. Harris will visit the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Harris led Biden’s bipartisan US delegation to the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who pushed the country away from the pacifist orthodoxy it adopted after its defeat in World War II.
Biden is expected to have his first face-to-face meeting as president with Chinese Xi Jinping during the November G20 meeting in Indonesia.
Before Harris spoke to US service personnel, I went up on deck and given an explanation of the warship’s missile and anti-submarine capabilities.
One commander pointed to a digital map showing a hypothetical enemy, an “enemy country,” which he declined to identify.
“It’s not Guam,” he explained, referring to the Pacific region.
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Additional reporting by Trevor Honeycutt in Yokosuka, Japan; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing. Editing by Mary Milliken, Josie Kao and Jerry Doyle
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