The U.S. is growing concerned that China is growing its nuclear and missile abilities amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A recent assessment from the Defense Department raised uneasiness after reports of a Chinese hypersonic weapons test added to the country’s arsenal.
unsustainable on this planet. Russia has more than 6,000 nukes, the US has 5,500, and China has 350. Again, all it takes it 100 and we all die. A No Fly Zone equals War with Russia = Nuclear War = Nuclear Holocaust = No more Life. pic.twitter.com/79hUkj1ziB
— ☭ ☆ Charlie ☆ ☭ (@charliesoo1984) March 16, 2022
Just hours after Russia launched its full-scale military operation in Ukraine, nine Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense zone on Thursday, prompting the country to scramble its air force to monitor further Chinese military activity.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for increased vigilance of military activities in response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, fearing that China might try to take advantage to move on the island.
Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping also expressed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a readout of a call between the two allies, Xi said to Putin that it is important to “abandon the Cold War mentality, attach importance to and respect the reasonable security concerns of all countries, and form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations.”
China has remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, claiming that it respects “all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“China supports Russia in resolving the issue through negotiation with Ukraine,” the readout said.
The country has increased its military presence in the Indian Ocean where it has been constructing dozens of warships. Experts fear that China’s dominance might allow it to coerce U.S. allies, endanger global maritime trade, and prevent American troops from entering the region.
However, the U.S. is more focused on building relationships in East Asia. The Biden administration has recently committed more diplomatic and security resources to Taiwan in its new U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, as the threat of China invading Taiwan was “real and dangerous.”
China responded to the strategy by saying that Taiwan is a “core issue” of China and it would not tolerate any foreign interference.
“We urge the U.S. side to recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan issue,” said Tan Kefei, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman.
