ANI
04 Jun 2023, 02:03 GMT+10
Singapore, June 3 (ANI): In his address at the Shangri-La Security Summit in Singapore, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin warned that the conflict in Taiwan Strait would be a devastating one, criticising China for its actions in the region.
"Our policy is constant and firm. It has held true across U.S. administrations. And we will continue to categorically oppose unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. I'd also highlight that conflict is neither imminent or inevitable. Deterrence is strong today--and it's our job to keep it that way," Austin said at the Shangri-La Security Summit in Singapore on Saturday.
"You know, the whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait--the whole world. The security of commercial shipping lanes and global supply chains depends on it. And so does freedom of navigation world-wide.
But make no mistake: conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating," he said in his remarks 'A Shared Vision for the Indo-Pacific' in Singapore.
Despite never having governed Taiwan, China's governing Communist Party claims it as part of its territory, and its increasingly frequent military exercises near and surrounding the island have aroused fears about how far it may go to realise that claim.
"The US is sincerely committed to maintaining the status quo in the strait, in accordance with our long-standing one-China policy and our well-established duties under the Taiwan Relations Act," Austin added.
Saying that US President Joe Biden has always been clear on the issue of Taiwan Strait, and that US will continue to back the self-governing island, he added, "The United States does not seek a new Cold War. And competition must not spill over into conflict. And the region should never be split into hostile blocs.""Instead, we're working to strengthen the guardrails against conflict, and to redouble our diplomacy, and to bolster peace, and security, and stability in the region."Soon after Austin spoke, Chinese People's Liberation Army Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng told China's state broadcaster CCTV that the US defence chief's remarks on Taiwan were "completely wrong," according to CNN.
Jing accused the US of attempting to "consolidate hegemony and provoke confrontation," adding that the US's activities were threatening regional peace and stability. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationWASHINGTON D.C.: In an interview with Reuters this week, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman said the United States Space Force ...
OTTAWA, Canada: During a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Canada's capital, Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...
The U.N. Security council is set to vote Monday on whether to authorize an international force to support Haiti's police ...
CIUDAD MADERO, Mexico - The roof of a church collapsed in northern Mexico during a Mass on Sunday, killing at ...
STOCKHOLM - Fall has arrived in Scandinavia, which means Nobel Prize season is here.The start of October is when the ...
© Provided by Xinhua "If they cannot corrupt, they scale up and assassinate resisting leaders. If they cannot succeed, they ...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Uzbek authorities said a powerful explosion on September 28 at a warehouse near Tashkent's airport killed one person ...
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: The Florida Lottery said this week that the second-largest lottery winner in U.S. history has come forward to ...
LONDON, UK: This week, the Global Financial Centers index showed that New York remains the world's leading financial center, with ...
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: In a significant milestone for its defense capabilities, Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically developed submarine. Although it ...
HONIARA, Solomon Islands: Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare revealed that he opted out of a Pacific Islands leaders' summit at the ...
SACRAMENTO, California: Intending to raise some US$160 million per year to help prevent gun violence, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed ...