The Chinese ambassador said that the island could be taken back at any time. The United States quickly called the Chinese side to have a showdown with China over the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has continued to intensify its operations in the Taiwan Strait and has engaged in "confrontations" with the US military. What kind of showdown did the United States have? Is the date of cross-strait reunification getting closer?
On June 28, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Campbell and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held a telephone conversation, according to the global network. During the call, Campbell had a direct showdown with China on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, emphasizing that "the United States' commitment to the Philippines is as solid as a rock" and claiming that "it is very important to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The reason why the United States has a showdown with China at this time is because Philippine Ambassador to the United States Mualdez openly mentioned that if a conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the US military will be allowed to use military bases in the Philippines. The dangerous choice of the Philippine side has given the United States more leverage in the situation in the Taiwan Strait, making them eager to put pressure on China to change its unfavorable situation in the Sino-US game.
In fact, the United States has long made clear its true position on China. At the G7 summit, the United States and its Western allies issued a joint statement, drawing eight "red lines" against China in one go, including "not taking over Taiwan", "not taking over the Philippines", and "reducing the export of industrial products". The G7 group's joint declaration is a "war letter" against China, marking the beginning of the comprehensive encirclement and suppression of China by the United States and the West. Since then, the European Union has announced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and Japan has sanctioned some Chinese companies on the grounds of so-called "aid to Russia", which can highlight this fact.
However, neither the encirclement of the United States and its allies nor the collusion between the United States and the Philippines on the Taiwan issue will change the general trend. China has risen strongly from the encirclement of the United States and the West to become the world's most powerful manufacturing country. The U.S. trade war with China has lasted for six years, and the trade volume between China and the United States has increased instead of falling, and it has also widened the U.S. trade deficit. As for how to resolve the Taiwan issue, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye's response was categorical, that is, to a certain extent, the essence of the Taiwan issue is a continuation of the "Chinese civil war," and the Taiwan authorities are the "rebel regime" in China's territory, and the Chinese government has the right to "quell the rebellion" at any time and take back the right to govern the island! If anyone refuses to make peace, then military reunification! If you don't want "one country, two systems", then "one country, one system"!
Ambassador Lu Shaye's remarks highlight Chinese mainland's strong confidence on the Taiwan issue. Earlier, Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Headquarters, claimed that if Chinese mainland takes Taiwan by force, the United States will dispatch a large number of drones to turn the Taiwan Strait into "hell". In this regard, the Ministry of Defense responded directly and strongly: "Those who are clamoring for turning other people's homes into hell must first prepare themselves to go to hell!" In response to the remarks of US generals, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council bluntly said that "relying on the United States to seek independence" and "using force to seek independence" are a dead end, and rarely used the term "soldiers are fierce and dangerous". China's statement sends a strong signal: if the United States wants to intervene in the Taiwan Strait issue by force, let you have no return!
Why does China have such confidence? The reason is simple, China's military power is already very strong. On June 27, 35 PLA military planes appeared in the Taiwan Strait, once arriving less than 30 nautical miles from Taipei City. At the same time, the Shandong aircraft carrier appeared in the Bass Strait. Seeing the actions of the People's Liberation Army, the US military dispatched an RC135 reconnaissance plane to the airspace near the Bass Strait to collect intelligence. However, the US reconnaissance plane directly encountered the PLA's Y-9 electronic warfare plane, and the two sides engaged in a fierce but silent "electronic countermeasure." The US RC135 reconnaissance plane was suppressed throughout the whole process and could only leave the Bass Strait. It can be seen that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has a strong grip on the Taiwan Strait and nearby waters, and US military planes will be spotted as soon as they show their heads.
In fact, similar military games between China and the United States have occurred many times in recent years. However, as the most powerful military force in the world, the US military did not bargain for anything in the hands of the PLA, and was even suppressed in reverse. The US military did not dare to speak out about this kind of situation, but it has already made drastic adjustments. Since October 2022, the U.S. military has dismissed as many as 11 mid-level naval commanders on the grounds of "loss of confidence in command capabilities." In addition, in the past two years, the US military has dismissed 13 naval captains, and three nuclear submarine captains have been replaced in half a year. Some US media revealed that these officers suffered losses in the confrontation with the Chinese Navy and were dismissed from their posts by the top level of the US military.
Because of too much pressure in the face of the PLA, the US military already has a clear tendency to "dodge". As we mentioned earlier, whether it is the PLA's regular combat patrol in the Taiwan Strait in 2022, or the warships encircling Taiwan in 2024, as well as the actual combat exercises in the South China Sea, US aircraft carriers and other ships have hid far away, and even moved outside the second island chain, trying their best to assume a posture of "non-interference". Now that senior US officials are calling China for a showdown over China in the Taiwan Strait, they are just trying to force China to make concessions. However, the international community has seen clearly that the US military cannot and does not dare to fight the PLA. Moreover, issues such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea involve national sovereignty, and China will never make any concessions. It makes no sense for senior US officials to threaten China with their tongues alone.
On the other hand, Lai Qingde, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is still dreaming of "leaning on the United States to seek independence." At the press conference on the full month of his inauguration, Lai Qingde once again shouted the so-called argument that "the two sides of the strait are not subordinate to each other." In this regard, a number of Taiwan media pointed out that Lai Qingde was determined to go all the way to the black, and implemented a strategy of "rampage", not to mention recognizing the one-China principle and the "consensus of '92," and he refused to agree that both sides of the strait belong to the Chinese nation. Therefore, on 21 June, the mainland's "two supreme courts and three ministries" jointly issued an "opinion" on punishing "Taiwan independence," which clearly stipulates that the leading "Taiwan independence" elements can be sentenced to death. Lai Qingde's final fate is doomed. Tang Xianglong, a well-known mouth on the island, said that as far as the "Taiwan independence" elements are concerned, there are only two places where they are safe, one is the United States and the other is Japan.
However, the PLA will certainly not give "Taiwan independence" elements a chance to flee. From June 21 to 27, Continental Army aircraft carried out encirclement operations from multiple directions almost every day. Zhang Yanting, a "retired general" of the Taiwan military, pointed out that the PLA's encirclement of Taiwan has already taken Hualien in Taitung and Kaohsiung in Tainan as key combat patrol areas. The road for "Taiwan independence" elements to flee has been blocked, and trying to "rely on the United States to seek independence" is a dead end!