US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed: “We are seeing an increase in coercion from Beijing. We are seeing a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan.”

During the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, he stressed the importance of “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and countering any unilateral change in the status quo”, urging China to “refrain from any further destabilizing steps”. towards Taiwan.

And Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fengyi warned Austin yesterday that Beijing “won’t hesitate to go to war” if Taiwan declares independence, in the context of a new confrontation between the two powers over the island.

Tensions between China and the United States have risen over Taiwan, which is autonomous and lives under the constant threat of Chinese invasion. Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has pledged to annex it by force if necessary.