Taiwan war would be ‘devastating,’ warns US Defense Secretary

US secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin arrives for the opening dinner for the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, on June 2.
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A war over Taiwan would be “devastating” and affect the global economy “in ways we cannot imagine,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned, as he underlined US support for the island democracy.

“Conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable. Deterrence is strong today – and it’s our job to keep it that way,” Austin said in remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit on Saturday, which is being attended by representatives from dozens of countries including China.

The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The security of commercial shipping lanes and global supply chains depends on it. And so does freedom of navigation worldwide. Make no mistake: conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating.”

China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and its increasingly frequent military exercises near to and around the island have raised concerns about how far it will go to realize that claim. China’s leader Xi Jinping has pointedly not ruled out the use of force.

Shortly after Austin spoke on Saturday, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Lieutenant General Jing Jianfe said the US defense chief’s comments on Taiwan were “completely wrong.”

Jing accused Washington of trying to “consolidate hegemony and provoke confrontation,” adding that US actions were damaging regional peace and stability.

Late Saturday afternoon, a US Navy spokesperson said US and Canadian warships were sailing through the Taiwan Strait while the discussions were going on in Singapore.

The transit by the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and frigate HIMCS Montreal was routine and occurred “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law,” US Navy spokesperson Lt. Kristina Wiedemann said in a statement

BBC/Jide Johnson.