On October 10, 2024, according to the report by Epoch Times, senior U.S. government officials stated on Wednesday, October 9 that Tsai Ing-wen’s Double Ten National Day speech is not a reason for China’s military pressure on Taiwan.
The American officials made the statement to the media before Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s speech on Thursday, October 10, anticipating that Beijing might choose to conduct military exercises to coincide with the timing.
In his National Day speech, Tsai Ing-wen is expected to mention that Beijing continues to harass the democratic island both militarily and psychologically, using all possible means to create “chaos”.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters that the speech commemorating the 113th birthday of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) should not be used as a justification for mainland China (the CCP) to conduct military exercises.
“Although we have not seen significant military activities or exercises after previous Double Ten speeches, we are prepared for Beijing to potentially use this as an excuse this year,” the official said.
“Once again, we believe that there is no reason to respond to routine annual celebration activities in this way. We believe that such coercive actions against Taiwan and cross-strait stability are destabilizing,” the official added.
The U.S. official mentioned that Taiwan has informed diplomatic partners about Tsai Ing-wen’s speech, but the content of the speech will be determined by Taiwanese officials themselves.
Taiwan officials also estimate that mainland China may launch military exercises near Taiwan in response to Tsai Ing-wen’s speech, using it as a pretext to pressure Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claims.
Recently, the Chinese military has been active near Taiwan almost daily, regularly conducting so-called “joint defense patrols,” with the most recent one being on Sunday.
In the past few weeks, Beijing has also carried out a series of other exercises, including joint actions with Russia in the Western Pacific and test-firing intercontinental ballistic missiles in September.
The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense stated that Beijing has been using various reasons to “legalize its directed military exercises”. The statement read, “We will continue to monitor and analyze the training dynamics of the PLA along the Taiwan Strait to predict the development of the situation.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated on Tuesday that it is impossible to predict what Beijing will or will not do.
On Tuesday night, Beijing criticized Tsai Ing-wen’s speech from last week’s celebration event as “sinister”. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of the CCP claimed that Tsai Ing-wen was confusing right and wrong.
At that time, Tsai Ing-wen stated that the People’s Republic of China (Communist China, hereinafter) had just turned 75 years old on October 1, and in a few days, the Republic of China would celebrate its 113th birthday. Therefore, based on age, Communist China could never be the “homeland” of the people of the Republic of China. On the contrary, the Republic of China should be the homeland of those over 75 years old on the mainland.
Additionally, Daniel Kritenbrink, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was requested during a media conference call on Tuesday to comment on Tsai Ing-wen’s aforementioned remarks.
Kritenbrink stated that reporters should inquire with Taiwan and the Office of the President of Tsai Ing-wen for specific comments on his statements.
He reiterated the U.S.’s policy of One China based on the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
“Our long-standing One China policy hasn’t changed. It is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances,” Kritenbrink said. “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo, we do not support Taiwan independence, and we hope that cross-strait disputes can be peacefully resolved.”
Kritenbrink added, “Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in the fundamental interest of the United States, and this will be a continued focus for us.”