- All three countries fear that Beijing will cross the red line and use force to regain Taiwan's sovereignty.
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| US ships in the Taiwan Strait on August 28, 2022. |
The US strengthens a triple alliance with Japan and Australia to face the threat of China in the Pacific
The prospects for war in the Taiwan Strait, with the perennial Chinese threat to regain sovereignty over the island, are forging a triple alliance between the United States, Japan, and Australia to defend their interests in the Pacific.
Beijing does not hide its intentions to integrate Taiwan into the People's Republic of China and its president, Xi Jinping, has made it clear that he does not renounce "the use of force" to achieve it. In recent months, the Chinese military has carried out extensive military exercises off the coast of Taiwan, and Xi has ordered his troops to focus their efforts on "preparing for war."
Given this scenario, Washington has promised to defend Taiwan's sovereignty against any foreign threat and is increasing military aid to the Taipei government. Fears have grown in the Pentagon that China will cross the red line and try to invade the island, a misgiving that is also shared by Japan and Australia.
Recently, Canberra and Tokyo signed a joint declaration in which both governments commit to joining forces to deal with "contingencies that may affect our sovereignty and regional security interests."
Australia has also given the go-ahead for the arrival of nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers on its territory. In fact, the facilities of the Australian base in Tindal, in the north of the country, are already being expanded to accommodate them.
A tense meeting between Biden and Xi is expected
Beijing confirmed this Friday that President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 summit to be held next week in Bali, Indonesia, where he will meet with his American counterpart, Joe Biden.
Although the White House already announced on Thursday that both leaders would meet next Monday the 14th, one day before the summit begins, China had not confirmed Xi's attendance at the G20 or the meeting with Biden so far.
On Wednesday, during a press conference at the White House, the US president said that he will not make concessions to Xi during the meeting and reaffirmed that he does not seek conflict. And he admitted that Taiwan "surely" will be part of the talks with the Chinese leader.
However, the meeting is expected to be tense, as Beijing has insisted that the island is in its "central interest" and that "Washington must get to work with China to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations."
Biden and Xi share a long personal relationship: The two met more than a decade ago when they were vice presidents of their countries and shared multiple trips, meetings, and dinners.
It will, however, be the first time they have met face to face since both are presidents of their respective countries, although they have held two telematic meetings in the last year.
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