Defense Minister Li Shangfu’s comment came after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington would not “flinch in the face of bullying or coercion” from China.
The legal status of the strategically important South China Sea is contested, with the US claiming it is in international waters and China claiming it falls within its own waters, as it considers Taiwan an extension of the mainland.
The recent travels of Taiwan’s president and her predecessor reflect wariness of Beijing’s response, and the delicate diplomatic dance across the Taiwan Strait.