US monitors Taiwan Strait as China mobilizes warships, balloons nearby

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Pentagon leaders are closely monitoring security conditions in and around Taiwan following alerts from the Department of National Defense that China is deploying maritime and air military assets near the island. proximities that seem too close. for further reassurance, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told DefenseScoop on Wednesday.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have increased in recent years, particularly since Chinese President Xi Jinping revealed plans to ensure the People's Liberation Army is prepared and equipped to “unify” (or invade) its small neighbor by 2027. Beijing considers the island as part of its territory. Taipei has been under its own government for around 75 years.

The security situation in the Indo-Pacific appears more uncertain this week, after Taiwan's national security officials expressed alarm over the detection of a large fleet of warships, high-altitude surveillance balloons and other markers of potential future aggression that they associate with the Chinese army.

“We remained focused on [People’s Republic of China’s] activity for some time. This is why the PRC has been our main challenge over the past four years. We talked about their coercive actions in the region. And certainly, this latter activity is something that we will continue to monitor and ensure that no one does anything to change the status quo in the world. [Taiwan Strait]” Austin said at a press briefing capping a multi-day trip to Japan, which will mark his final visit to the Indo-Pacific as US defense chief.

The Secretary highlighted the joint efforts led by America and Japan during his tenure, including continued efforts to collaboratively improve their militaries' command and control frameworks and expand their shared operational responsibilities.

Notably, the Taiwan Strait is considered one of the world's most critical waterways for global shipping, as many valuable commercial assets pass through it every day. So far, Beijing does not appear to have clarified whether the capabilities deployed near the strait this week are part of a training exercise, a military exercise – or another, more threatening project.

Responding to questions from DefenseScoop in Japan on Wednesday, Austin did not say whether he had spoken to his Taiwanese counterparts about the ongoing incident, or whether his team had any indication of China's reasoning for the deployments near the island this week.

“Our policy has not changed. We will continue to do everything possible to help Taiwan acquire the means to defend itself. Once again, this work continues. But this latest activity, we will continue to monitor it and see what happens,” he said.

Austin also expressed confidence that the U.S. military will continue to have the capacity and focus to deter China and work with its allies to promote peace in the Indo-Pacific region, even as conflicts in the Middle East and in Ukraine continue to expand.

“Throughout [the last four years]the PRC was our main challenge. And we've done a number of things that, globally, can help our partners and allies,” he told DefenseScoop. “The combination of what we did to help Ukraine defend itself and to put more pressure on Russia, to help Israel do what it did, weakened Russia and Iran as well. And so that had an impact.

Written by Brandi Vincent Brandi Vincent is DefenseScoops' Pentagon correspondent. It reports on emerging and disruptive technologies, and associated policies, impacting the Department of Defense and its personnel. Before joining Scoop News Group, Brandi produced a feature-length documentary and worked as a journalist at Nextgov, Snapchat and NBC Network. She grew up in Louisiana and earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.

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