US Defense Secretary Criticizes China for Increasing Provocative Military Activities Near Taiwan

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, is waiting for the start of the 53rd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) high-level talks held on the morning of the 2nd at the Ministry of National Defense video conference room in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pointed out at the ongoing Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) in Singapore that China’s provocative military activities related to Taiwan are increasing, according to major foreign media including AP on the 11th.

According to the report, Secretary Austin said in his first plenary session speech that "We are seeing increased coercion by the Chinese government. We have witnessed escalating provocative and destabilizing military activities near Taiwan."

Secretary Austin also stated that the U.S. position on One China remains unchanged, but "While our policy has not changed, unfortunately China does not seem to share this view," and directly criticized, "China’s actions pose threats that undermine the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific."

Earlier, during a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe the previous day, Secretary Austin also took a firm stance on the Taiwan issue. According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Minister Wei declared a hardline position, saying, "If anyone dares to split Taiwan, the Chinese military will definitely not hesitate to fight."

Meanwhile, Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo also advocated for countering China in his speech that day. He pointed out, "There are attempts to strengthen military power without transparency, without giving up the possibility of using force against Taiwan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.