U.S. Defense Department Official Visits Taiwan

As the U.S.-China balloon incident continued to fester, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Affairs, Michael Chase, made a low-profile visit to Taiwan on February 17. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its opposition to the visit and urged the United States to stop creating new tension factors in the Taiwan Strait. Chase is the first senior U.S. defense official to visit Taiwan since Heino Klinck, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asian affairs, visited in 2019, and the second senior U.S. defense official in 40 years.

The Pentagon declined to provide an explanation to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regarding Chase’s visit. Pentagon spokesman Martin Meiners reiterated U.S. support for Taiwan in the face of the current threat made by Beijing, as well as remaining consistent in the defense relationship. Meiners stressed, “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng said on Friday afternoon in response to media inquiries that Taiwan welcomes “people who are friendly to us.”

At the same time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed at a regular press conference on February 17 that China firmly opposes official U.S.-Taiwan contacts and military ties and warned the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the U.S.-China Joint Communiqué, stop meddling in the Taiwan issue and stop creating new tension factors in the Taiwan Strait. At a time after the CCP’s spy balloon incident, President Biden has spoken out to strengthen communication with the CCP. Meanwhile, the U.S. military continues to support Taiwan as previously planned, and maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait remains a priority.