Washington, Aug 30 – The national security officials of the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet this week in Hawaii (USA), at a time of great tension between China and the US over the situation in Taiwan.
In a statement, the US government reported the meeting between the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, the secretary general of national security of Japan, Akiba Takeo, and the director of national security of the Republic of Korea, Kim Sung -they have.
Sullivan will hold bilateral meetings with both representatives in Honolulu (Hawaii) tomorrow, Wednesday, and later the three will meet at the same time on Thursday.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the passage of two US cruise ships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, accusing the US of “deliberately undermining regional peace and stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned that the US Navy’s action is not a “commitment to freedom of navigation” but a provocation seeking “uncontrolled freedom.”
This operation takes place four weeks after the president of the US Legislature, Nancy Pelosi, made a fleeting visit to Taipei despite previous warnings from Beijing, unleashing a crisis in the strait and causing military maneuvers in the surroundings of the island.
The war games with live fire and the launch of long-range missiles were described by the Taiwanese government as “irresponsible”, in addition to causing many signs of concern within the international community.
The United States stated during the same that it would continue operating through the Taiwan Strait, describing the crisis as “manufactured” by Beijing.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, an island it has considered a rebellious province since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the civil war against the communists.