The US Defense Department says it is ready to fulfil its regional security obligations with relation to protecting Taiwan. That was the word from Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday.
His comments come after China’s defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said “Taiwan independence means war”. Last Sunday China sent a record 15 military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, forcing Taiwan to scramble fighter jets in response.
Kirby says Wu Qian’s words are “unfortunate”. He says he “sees no reason why tensions over Taiwan need to lead to anything like confrontation”. However, he says, “the United States military remains ready in all respects to meet our security commitments in the region”.
Kirby says that the US will continue to abide by the obligations defined in the Taiwan Relations Act and the US-Chinese Three Communiqués. The Three Communiqués are a set of joint statements with China that serve as the basis of US-Chinese relations. The Taiwan Relations Act, meanwhile, came into force in 1979 and loosely states that the US must protect Taiwan.