BANGKOK: A recent spate of Chinese military flights off southwestern Taiwan has prompted alarm from the island, which Beijing claims as its own, and is increasing tensions in a region already on edge.
The flights are one piece of a complex puzzle in Asia, where the United States and its allies have stepped up their naval manoeuvres and Australia announced last month it is acquiring nuclear-powered submarines in a deal seen as a direct challenge to Beijing.
Meanwhile, Japan has grown increasingly vocal about China becoming a security threat.
Experts agree that armed conflict is not imminent, but as military activity increases, there are growing fears that a mishap or miscalculation could lead to an unintended escalation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Beijing and Washington last month to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship, saying “we need to avoid at all cost a Cold War”.
Here are some of the issues at play:
WHAT ARE CHINA'S GOALS?
China portrays its military profile as purely defensive, arranged to protect what it says are its sovereign rights from Taiwan to the South China Sea and its long, disputed mountain border with India.
The US and many of China's neighbors see that stance as aggressive and have bolstered their own presence in hopes of arresting China’s efforts to unalterably change facts on the ground.
China, after years of rising military spending, now boasts the world’s second largest defence budget behind the US, totaling about US$209 billion this year.
That has allowed the development of advanced weapons systems including the J-20 stealth fighter, hypersonic missiles and two aircraft carriers, with a third under construction.
President Xi Jinping, also commander of the People’s Liberation Army, has overseen the construction of military facilities on man-made islands in the South China Sea meant to extend China's territorial waters, and stated that bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control cannot be left to the next generation.
His threats toward the self-governing island democracy have been amplified through military exercises along the coast opposite Taiwan and the flying of large numbers of Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, including a single-day record of 56 on Monday (Oct 4), capping a total of 149 flights over a four-day period.
Xi is to deliver a speech Saturday on the eve of Taiwan’s National Day. The unusually high-profile address will be watched carefully for signs of outreach to the Taiwanese public or any hardening of China’s line.
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2021-10-08 11:19:03Z
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