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The US military recognizes that the strength of the Chinese Navy is very large and is very capable of blocking Taiwan with its warships. PHOTOS / REUTERS
This was stated by the commander of the US Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, in an interview with The Wall Street newspaper (WSJ).
“They have a very large Navy, and if they want to bluff and place ships around Taiwan, they can very well do it,” he said.
China, Thomas said, has created a large and modern navy, with the number of naval vessels available in Beijing growing rapidly.
Read also: Unlike Ukraine, US forces prepare for Taiwan in the event of an invasion of China
He said he did not know if China was trying to take concrete action against Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory, through a total invasion or a naval blockade.
“Obviously, if they do something non-kinetic, which, you know, the block is less kinetic, that allows the international community to consider and work together on how we’re going to solve that challenge,” he explained.
Thomas continued, Beijing also strengthened its military presence in the South China Sea, a busy waterway southwest of Taiwan, and completely militarized the man-made and natural islands under its control in the waterway.
“They already have all the bunkers they need, they already have all the fuel storage capacity they need, the ability to house troops, they have missiles, radars, sensors,” he said.
Taiwan has been a major problem in US-China relations for decades, with tensions further exacerbated by a recent visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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