The Pentagon found out this past Friday that China flew a nuclear-capable bomber outside of its borders and around Taiwan less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwan’s president.
China’s Xian H-6 bomber flew along the disputed “nine-dash line,” which surrounds the South China Sea and dozens of disputed islands. These islands – including Taiwan – have been claimed by China, along with other countries in the region. This marks the first long-range flight along the demarcation line in more than 18 months, and caused Japan to scramble fighter jets in response.
China Is Sending A Message
The U.S. officials who originally reported this to Fox News say that it was designed to send a message to Trump’s incoming administration. It is very likely that Trump only agitated Beijing further by having his unprecedented phone call with the president of Taiwan, which was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.
Trump created a massive amount of controversy with his phone call, leading to protests from Beijing and a stern warning from the Chinese government. This is all coming at a time where China has been steadily militarizing the disputed islands surrounding it.
China Militarizes Disputed Islands
Reports have stated that China is currently building up these contested islands with airplane hangers, runways, and surface-to-air missile systems. Combined with the bold show of power that was the flight of this nuclear-capable bomber, it’s getting increasingly worrying that our President-elect has been provoking China through diplomatic gaffes and boneheaded tweets.
Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
their country (the U.S. doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
Fox reported that Admiral Harry Harris, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, has been repeatedly warning that China’s is militarizing its surrounding islands for the last year. Given these circumstances, it would really be nice to have an incoming president with diplomatic experience and a much steadier finger on the button.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll5WFOT6y30
Featured image credit: Aquatiger127 via Wikimedia Commons /CC-2.0
