Overview
- Chiu Chui-cheng, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council minister, delivered the warning in Washington during a Heritage Foundation appearance.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry reported 31 Chinese military aircraft and 13 warships near the island since Friday morning, the highest levels since May.
- China’s new aircraft carrier Fujian recently transited the Taiwan Strait, which the Chinese navy described as scientific tests and training with no specific target.
- A U.S. destroyer and a British frigate also crossed the strait, drawing Chinese condemnation and monitoring as the UK called the passage a routine transit under international law.
- Beijing states it seeks peaceful unification with Taiwan yet reserves the right to use force, while Taipei warns a fall of the island could trigger a regional domino effect that erodes U.S. security and influence.