Amidst threats of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a Chinese naval ship just intercepted a U.S. Navy ship in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempt to drive the United States out of Asia. However, the United States reacted strongly stating that it will firmly maintain a commitment to that part of the world and is well aware that the Indo-Pacific region is critical to the security and prosperity of the United States.
On June 5, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby responded to a press conference on this interception incident, saying: “We are a Pacific power; we are not going anywhere. We have a serious commitment in that part of the world. Five of our seven treaty alliances are in the Indo-Pacific. The vast majority of international economic trade flows through the Indo-Pacific region. We have a real need there, and we will stay there. We are going to strengthen and revitalize these alliances and partnerships.”
Two days before, on June 3, while the USS Chung-Hoon, a Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and the HMCS Montreal, a Canadian Navy ship, were sailing together through the Taiwan Strait, a Chinese Navy ship maneuvered straight ahead of the USS Chung-Hoon, forcing the U.S. ship to change course. The two ships were within 150 yards (137 meters) of each other and almost collided.
Corr said Kirby’s words were a direct counter to the Chinese regime’s attempt to drive the United States out of Asia. If China is allowed to succeed, it would leave key U.S. allies, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia, at the mercy of the CCP.
In the face of extreme pressure from China, Kirby made clear that the United States will continue to enforce its freedom of navigation program in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. “If they [the CCP] are trying to send the message that we are not welcome, or that our presence needs to be reduced, or that they want us to stop flying, sailing, and operating in support of international law—that’s not going to happen.”
Historical Evolution of the US as a Pacific Power
From the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century, the United States expanded from the Atlantic coast to the interior of North America and then to the Pacific coast. Today, the U.S. Pacific coastline is one of the longest in the world and is vital to the U.S. economy. The five “Pacific” states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington account for nearly 20 percent of the U.S. GDP and 15 percent of the nation’s population. In the 19th century, American merchants and Christian missionaries sailed from the American Pacific coast to reach Asia.Two Wars Establish American ‘Pacific Power’ Status
Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a U.S. naval base near Honolulu. More than 2,400 Americans, including civilians, were killed in the attack and another 1,000 were injured. The day after the attack, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.US Return to Asia-Pacific
Although the United States has a longstanding relationship with the Asia-Pacific region, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks shifted U.S. forces to counterterrorism and a two-decade war in the Middle East. In the meantime, the CCP has been fighting to occupy islands in the South China Sea and is aggressively pursuing its expansionist goals. The U.S. position in the Asia-Pacific was in jeopardy.
The document explained that the Indo-Pacific region is home to more than half the world’s population, accounts for nearly two-thirds of the world’s economy, has the world’s seven largest military forces, has more U.S. troops stationed in the region than any other U.S. territory outside the United States, supports more than 3 million U.S. jobs, and is the source of nearly $900 billion in foreign direct investment in the United States. In the years ahead, as the region drives two-thirds of global economic growth, its influence will only grow, and so will its importance to the United States.
Carl Schuster, former director of operations for the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center in Hawaii, told The Epoch Times on June 7 that the shift in U.S. strategic focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific is a gradual process.
“People realized he was promising one thing but delivering another, and that led to a change in [Washington’s] mentality. ... It was a slow awakening, and it got a big boost,” Shuster said. After Pelosi visited Taiwan, Chinese missiles were fired toward Taiwanese waters from all directions. Schuster suggested that this established the current broad consensus, which is that China is not a friendly country, and if the United States fails to confront the challenges in a variety of areas, we will wake up to a new world order run by China, Russia, and Iran.
Navigation Freedom in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait
In 2015, U.S. Navy ships began to travel to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait on freedom of navigation missions. Such missions continued regularly and are still ongoing today despite the increasing amount of Chinese military drills around Taiwan. This led to the recent interception of the U.S. Navy ship by a Chinese Navy ship.Shuster explained that if the United States stops sending navy ships across the Taiwan Strait due to the harassment tactics of the Chinese regime, then the Taiwan Strait will become de facto Chinese waters. The freedom of navigation missions was carried out to show that the Taiwan Strait is international waters and is not controlled by the CCP.
As the CCP continues to threaten an attack on Taiwan, the control of the Taiwan Strait is particularly strategic. If China controls the Taiwan Strait, it can invade Taiwan at will and implement a blockade on the island nation.
“So we will continue to use these waters. Not because we want to go to war, but because we want to stop a war,” said Schuster.