Pentagon official: China’s drills spark conflict in the region

According to Fars News Agency, a senior official of the Pentagon (US Department of Defense) reacted to China’s military exercises and show of force on Saturday and pointed to the possibility of a conflict in the Far East.

According to the newspaper “TIpe TimesEli Ratner, US Department of Defense Deputy Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said: “China’s provocative and decisive military exercises can spark a crisis or conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.”

He said that in the last 18 months, China has shown more decisive, aggressive and risky behavior in the Indo-Pacific region.

A Chinese J-16 fighter jet conducted an aggressive maneuver near a US Air Force surveillance plane over the South China Sea in the past few days, and a Chinese warship blocked the US Navy’s destroyer in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu also recently warned about the disastrous consequences of any possible conflict between the country and the United States.

“It cannot be denied that a serious conflict or confrontation between China and the United States would be an intolerable disaster for the whole world,” Li said during a speech at the Shangri-La Talks Asian Security Summit.

The senior Pentagon official added that such behavior is a big problem and can lead to some kind of crisis or conflict. “The United States will not be intimidated by this behavior,” Ratner claimed.

The issue of the Taiwan Strait is one of the long-standing cases of tension between the United States and China. America is a long-time ally of Taiwan and supports its separation from China.

America expresses this support in the form of military aid, arms sales and political support. Meanwhile, China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has threatened to use force if necessary to rejoin the island to mainland China.

The continued support of the United States for the secession of Taiwan and its military presence in the region have been viewed by China as a threat to the country’s national security. This has led to heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait, with China conducting military exercises near Taiwan and the United States sending warships and military aircraft to the region.

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