(RightWing.org) – Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region continue to mount after an August 2022 visit to Taiwan by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The situation escalated after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on April 5, 2023. Chinese officials responded by dispatching their military arm to surround the island under the auspices of conducting a three-day training exercise. During this period, the CCP reportedly tracked a US warship.
China "fully monitors" U.S. warship's transit through Taiwan Straits https://t.co/J0vDiIH5u7
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 17, 2023
On Monday, April 17, Chinese state-run foreign language news outlets reported that military officials followed “every move” of the USS Milius, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, as it traveled through the Taiwan Strait during the final day of China’s war games.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, issued a written statement claiming the US sensationalized the warship’s passage through the strait. He also warned that the People’s Liberation Army remains on “high alert” to safeguard Chinese “sovereignty… security,” along with “regional peace and stability.”
Yi’s statement came a day after Chinese National Defense Minister and State Councilor Maj. Gen. Li Shangfu met with his Russian counterpart, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, and President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin posted a transcript of a brief press conference by the three officials.
VLADIMIR PUTIN HELD A MEETING WITH STATE COUNCILLOR AND MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA LI SHANGFU IN THE KREMLIN. RUSSIAN MINISTER OF DEFENCE SERGEI SHOIGU ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETINGhttps://t.co/adtlHcfJ2P pic.twitter.com/2IIq22a50V
— Embassy of Russia in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (@RusEmb_Malaysia) April 18, 2023
Putin confirmed the parties discussed “military-to-military cooperation” and various other topics. He also flaunted the two countries’ proactive approach to cooperation, pointing to joint training missions conducted on sea and land in “various theaters of operations,” including Europe and the Far East.
Likewise, Li bragged about China and Russia’s “military and military-technical cooperation level.” Similarly, the defense minister emphasized the “special nature and strategic significance” of the two country’s “bilateral relations.”
Li noted “relations” between Chinese and Russian armed forces were increasing “with each passing day.” He also stated that under Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “strategic leadership,” cooperation and relations have “entered a new era.”
Copyright 2023, RightWing.org
