The top Democrat on the House’s new China committee has warned that China’s actions will not stop the US from sending warships into the Taiwan Strait.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (D-IL) comments come after the US military accused a Chinese naval vessel of making an “unsafe” maneuver in the Taiwan Strait by passing 150 yards in front of a US warship.
“I hope that the CCP does not believe that such dangerous maneuvers, or the lack of communication between our two countries, will somehow discourage our freedom of navigation on the waterways in the Taiwan Strait, or South China Sea, or any international waterways,” Krishnamoorthi told Nikkei Asia.
The encounter between the US and Chinese warships took place as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The two military chiefs did not hold a meeting because the US refused to lift sanctions imposed on Li in 2018.
During the conference, Li defended China’s actions in the Taiwan Strait, saying the US military was in the region for “provocation.” Krishnamoorthi suggested the US might increase its military activity near China, which would increase the risk of an accident between the two militaries.
“We will continue to exercise our freedom of navigation, and I think that any attempts by them to discourage us through some dangerous maneuvers will be extremely counterproductive, and I believe will be perceived as bullying by the CCP, and will invite only more actions and reactions in the region,” he said.
Krishnamoorthi also told Nikkei that the US and NATO should increase cooperation with India as part of the strategy against China. He called for India to be included in NATO-Plus, a group that currently includes Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.
“It’s clear that India has become a very important strategic partner and friend to the United States, especially in securing the Indo-Pacific region, and for us to draw closer,” Krishnamoorthi said.
China can’t keep the US out of “international” waters in the Taiwan Strait. By this logic, the US also can’t keep China out of “international” waters between Florida and Cuba.
And the world will be a lot better off when the world’s #1 and #2 superpowers DON’T do these stupid egotistical military exercises near each other.
Can we just stop the pointless escalations and confrontations? The Taiwan Strait had peace for 70 years before we decided to sail our warships and do some war exercises there 50 miles off the Chinese coast….
The US has been sailing its warships between the PRC and Taiwan since the PRC came into existence. In fact, in the mid-1950s, a few US aircraft were shot down by PRC anti-aircraft fire over the strait.
And the Chinese sail the waters between Florida and Cuba at will, too.
The US provokes war all over Earth continuously using borrowed money. Borrow and spend Americans are defeating the US from within the halls of government. Has any merchant ship reported problems with freedom of navigation in these waters?
Balance the budget.
balance the budget
Clinton did just that, and then Baby Bush started another war.
How (balance a multi trillion dollar budget)?
Pretty obvious that our provocations put China’s provocations to shame. I mean if we made such a big deal about a balloon floating over our country, I can only imagine the outcry if China was even approaching the duplication of our provocations in the Tawain Strait.
Good point. Thomas provided no reference.
I provided links when this subject came up LAST week, but it’s not a controversial claim or anything. The Chinese don’t have an especially large blue-water navy yet, but they’ve transited the Florida Strait and made port of call in Havana a number of times in the last decade or so. And the US whines about it when it happens. I suspect the whining will get louder as the US regime continues to use China as Boogeyman of the Week.
I’m sure you know commercial traffic is hardly the issue here.
But, I don’t recall the Chinese threatening to liberate Puerto Rico (disputed territory), do you? /s
Did I say otherwise?
/s means sarcasm.
Lots of ‘403 forbidden’ today.
“Raja Krishnamoorthi” was born in India? He wants India included in NATO-Plus to get involved in a war with China? Why would someone want his own country destroyed in a nuclear war with China? Does he think India is that stupid? …Wait. Never mind. I just remembered the South Vietnamese in the Vietnam war, the Cubans in Florida, the Ukrainians, the Taiwanese, the …, Enough! Enough! Delete! Delete! Help! The delete button is not working. (Sarcasm alert)
Why, Why, Why??? Because the world’s politicians are all going psychotic at once!!
Like most immigrants, probably feels the need to be more gung-ho than the natives, … and, of course, he’s a bourgeois politician and knows where the money comes from.
China’s best policy, in my opinion, is to avoid the military confrontation that team Biden is so determined to provoke. Taiwan exports 121 billion per year to China. That will probably disappear if they declare independence, and it is about 23% of their total exports. That wouldn’t be a great move of an island economy that relies on foreign trade to maintain its standard of living.
This is just more escalation of provocations to get China to fire the first shot. They stay on their own side of the world, but the US has almost 800 bases world wide. If I were China, I would just let Wash. sail as many ships as they want, since it’s really just another waste of taxpayer money which is about all Wash. is good at today.
Just as they can’t keep us out we can’t keep them out either.
Not exactly a earthshattering profundity.
I’m more interested in India and the want for them to join us in some new organization.
They are going to be in South Africa in August attending that BRICS meeting with Russia and China along with Brazil and the host country. Most are saying a combined digital currency to compete with the dollar in global trade may be proposed or even announced there.
That is an already long established group whose combined GDPs are larger than the G7 s as of this year and the gap is predicted to grow.
So we want India to join us in some new group. I bet that really excites India….lol.
India’s foreign minister has come out and said that India has no interest in joining NATO.
Yes but there are other organizations that they did join with us.
India, being the biggest population , is friends with about everyone except Pakistan of course.
They play with us, Russia and China.
You’re correct about that. My reply was meant for NA below. Sorry for the error.
Honestly it kind of worked in that murky comment board kind of way of imprecision.
… And US cannot stop China from transiting water way between Key West and Havana…!
“And US cannot stop China from transiting water way between Key West and Havana…!”
Which it does. All the time. And has for years.
??Destroyers loaded with nukes??
Why would they need to? The rusty Pentagon boats will simply sink on its own.