Vice Admiral Karl Thomas stated that Beijing has constructed a modern and large fleet which can be used to encircle the island.
China can impose a naval blocade on Taiwan without difficulty, the Commander of US Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
“They have a very large navy, and if they want to bully and put ships around Taiwan, they very much can do that,”“The admiral stated.
China has already created a large and modern navy, Thomas stated, with the number of military vessels at Beijing’s disposal continuing to grow rapidly. However, the admiral stated that he didn’t know if China was planning to act against Taiwan. Taiwan is considered an integral part Beijing’s territory and could be invaded or blocked by naval vessels.
“Clearly, if they do something that’s non-kinetic, which, you know, a blockade is less kinetic, then that allows the international community to weigh in and to work together on how we’re going to solve that challenge,”He explained.
Beijing also increased its military presence at the South China Sea. This is a major waterway that connects southwest Taiwan to China. “completely militarized”He also noted that artificial and natural islands are under the Admiral’s control within the waterway.
“They already have all the bunkers they need, they already have all the fuel storage capacity they need, the ability to house troops, they have the missiles, the radars, the sensors,”He said.
Taiwan has been an issue in US relations with China for many decades. Recently, Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, disregarding repeated warnings by Beijing not to, and became the highest-ranking US official in Taiwan for more than 25 year.
Taiwan was self-governed in 1949 when Chinese nationalists fled from the mainland following the end of the civil war against communism and established their administration on the island. While formally recognizing Beijing’s sovereignty over the island and the ‘One China’ principle, Washington has maintained close informal ties with the island nation.
China views Taiwan as part its sovereign territory that has temporarily been seized by separatists. Beijing stated repeatedly that it would pursue the acquisition of Taiwan. “reunification”However, it hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a military solution to reach this goal.
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