Recent visits to Taiwan by US officials have led Beijing to lash out through propaganda, military posturing

Taiwan News
Date: 82020/10/06
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan and the U.S. drift closer, China has stepped up its propaganda online and through state media.

The propaganda, along with several military exercises over the past few months, including the test-firing of ballistic missiles and frequent buzzing of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), is meant to warn the U.S. that China would not back away from a military confrontation, according to The New York Times. While the chances of actual war breaking out remain small, recent military actions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea increase the likelihood that an intended or accidental clash could occur.

Many of these moves came in response to recent Taiwan trips by two U.S. officials. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited in August, and Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach came in September.

One Chinese video released by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force after the U.S. visits showed a simulated airstrike on the American territory of Guam, with clips taken from the movies “The Rock,” “The Hurt Locker,” and “Transformers.” Chinese tabloid the Global Times warned that Washington was “playing with fire” by supporting Taiwan and threatened that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would be “wiped out” if she violated China’s Anti-Secession Law.    [FULL  STORY]