Reconnaissance Balloon Incident Moves to Taiwan Front... "Diplomatic Close Contact Move"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yujin] The conflict between the United States and China over reconnaissance balloons is shifting to the Taiwan front. Amid discussions in the U.S. Congress about expanding military support for Taiwan, high-level diplomatic engagements such as mutual visits between Taiwan’s Foreign Minister and the U.S. House Speaker are continuing.

According to major foreign media on the 18th (local time), Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Chao-hsieh and Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC) Ku Li-hsiung are scheduled to visit the United States this week in a closed-door meeting to meet with White House National Security Advisor John Finer and others.

The visit plans of Foreign Minister Wu and Secretary Ku to the U.S. are routine, coinciding with their attendance at the annual security conference. However, foreign media reported that the conference schedule being moved up by about four months compared to last year is likely related to the escalating military and security risks between the U.S. and China. Since the first meeting held in Monterey, California in 1997, the U.S. and Taiwan have held annual security dialogues every July or August, with last year’s meeting held in June.

The Taiwan Liberty Times predicted that during Foreign Minister Wu and Secretary Ku’s visit, discussions would focus on accelerating U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, economic and trade issues, and expanding Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.

This visit plan emerged amid calls from the U.S. Republican leadership to expand military support for Taiwan. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, both Republicans, along with Senators Jim Risch and Roger Wicker, Republican ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees respectively, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on the 16th urging such measures.

They urged President Biden to increase the Department of State’s budget for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Taiwan in the 2024 budget proposal to be submitted to Congress.

The lawmakers cited China’s increasing military pressure on U.S. allies and partners, including the recent intrusion of U.S. airspace by reconnaissance balloons, stating, “The United States must feel urgency and act to ensure it has the capabilities to defend itself and to help its allies and partners protect themselves from the Chinese Communist Party.”

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Following the visit of Taiwan’s Foreign Minister and other senior officials to the U.S., there are claims that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan is being discussed. According to local Taiwanese media, Chang Chih-chien, a legislator from the main opposition Kuomintang party, said McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan within this year is certain, but the exact timing has not been finalized.

China used then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August last year as a pretext to conduct military blockade exercises around Taiwan and military demonstrations in the Taiwan Strait, and has indicated it will strongly respond to McCarthy’s visit.

Meanwhile, the U.S. House Special Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (U.S.-China Strategic Competition Special Committee) delegation began a five-day visit to Taiwan on the 18th. The delegation, led by Representative Ro Khanna, includes Representatives Tony Gonzales (Republican, Texas), Jake Auchincloss (Democrat, Massachusetts), and Jonathan Jackson (Democrat, Illinois).

China responded to the visit of U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan with military demonstrations. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that from 6 a.m. on the 17th to 6 a.m. on the 18th, 24 military aircraft and 4 warships belonging to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army were detected around Taiwan. Among them, 15 aircraft including four J-16 fighter jets entered the southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which corresponds to the median line of the Taiwan Strait and its extension.

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