A top US military commander said Tuesday that the US must “contest” China’s missile launches over Taiwan that were carried out in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting the island.
“It’s very important that we contest this type of thing. I know that the gorilla in the room is launching missiles over Taiwan,” Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, the commander of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet, told reporters in Singapore.
China’s recent exercises marked the first time they fired missiles over the island of Taiwan. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took other unprecedented steps over Pelosi’s visit, and tensions could increase further as the US is planning to conduct its own drills in the region.
Thomas’ Seventh Fleet, which is based in Japan, is expected to send ships and planes into the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks. The Seventh Fleet often sends destroyers through the Strait and near Chinese-controlled islands in the South China Sea, but a larger show of force is expected in the wake of China’s drills.
Some of the military exercises China held will now become routine as a consequence of Pelosi’s visit. Thomas said the US couldn’t allow the drills to “become the new norm,” but it’s clear that more US activity in the region will just result in more Chinese military exercises.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang urged the US to show restraint. “We have noted what the US military has said about the US military exercises and navigation [in the Taiwan Strait], but I call on the US to refrain and exercise restraint and not do anything to escalate tensions,” he said.
What does the vice admin mean “couldn’t allow”? This is CHINA, friend. You don’t get to allow or disallow anything here.
Which “admiral” said that? The freak that is running around dressed in skirts?
Are there photos of this freak show?… 😉
“and not do anything to escalate tensions,” As far as Washington is concerned, that’s its job – to escalate tensions, anywhere and everywhere, until it gets another war the MIC can profit from.
Contest how? By firing MORE missiles over Taiwan? By firing missiles over China? That’ll sure reduce tensions… to the point where the straw breaks and the bombs start flying… Get these hawks out of here!
Coming soon to a War Theater near you!
Surely he realizes how hypocritical it is for 𝐡𝐢𝐦 to say such a thing.
Few submarines or a lot of submarines: that is the question.
A lot of submarines NA… If we’re gonna go for it, let’s do it up big!
So the Refrigerator Queen has succeeded in getting the ever-eager US military to kick up its heels & cock its many guns, while crying “must contest!” Good going, Nancy. As a Californian, thank the goddess not an inhabitant of San Francisco, I have to ask: what has that woman done for her state? Sure she is speaker of the house, but she seems to have left all the California housekeeping to her housekeeper in the Foggy City, who does evidently keep her fridge well stocked with all that ice cream.
That explains why her hair is so puffy…
I think the Chinese should start funding an independence movement on Catalina Island and sail their warships between it and LA. I bet the rest of the world would eat that up.
No mate. You should b..ger off home and stop stirring shit in other peoples backyards. Go home Yank.
How? By making things worse? By inciting China even more? Pelosi on steroids is the lesson?
This is nuts. It is also likely the official position.
Our government is by fools, unserious people leading us into disaster.
It is not US’s business at all.
One possible way to remedy the situation, would be to hold a missile launching competition between China and the US and the winner gets Nancy Pelosi as a prize… 😉 Okay, yes, that would be WWIII…
I think it’s one of the great cosmic jokes that the ultimate symbol of power is now the ballistic missile. How one hasn’t been named the Min-1 I do not know.
Hmmmm…
Donna, I think the loser gets Pelosi😉
That would really give each side a huge incentive to win!
The ultimate ‘contest,’ and perhaps humanity’s final one will be WWIII which Wash. is doing everything to provoke.
Wonder how many millions will be squandered in Wash.’s macho display of force? Sailing all those ships around for chest beating purposes costs a lot of money. Same with Somalia; what did it cost to kill under 10 people there with those expensive bombs and planes to drop them?
DC doesn’t care. They make a profit from destruction. The gullible American people pay, not them.