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US sending aircraft and warships to Taiwan Strait due to Beijing ‘pressure campaign’, White House says

  • ‘We will ensure that our presence, posture and exercise account for China’s more provocative and destabilising behaviour’, says Indo-Pacific adviser
  • Kurt Campbell also reveals ‘ambitious road map for trade negotiations’ with Taiwan to be announced within days amid simmering bilateral tensions

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The USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group have been positioned near Taiwan in recent weeks. Photo: Handout via Reuters

The US will send aircraft and warships to the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks as Washington anticipates Beijing’s “intensified pressure campaign” against the self-ruled island to unfold over the next few months, a senior White House official said.

Kurt Campbell, President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific coordinator, also revealed on Friday that “an ambitious road map for trade negotiations” with Taiwan would be announced “in the coming days”.

“We will ensure that our presence, posture and exercise account for China’s more provocative and destabilising behaviour towards guiding the situation in the western Pacific towards greater stability,” Campbell said during a briefing with reporters.

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“We will continue to take calm and resolute steps to uphold stability in the face of Beijing’s ongoing efforts to undermine it, and to support Taiwan in line with our long-standing policy,” he added.

The actions include “conducting standard air and maritime transit” in the Taiwan Strait over the next few weeks.

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