BALANCING ACT: A slew of military drills and actions from the US indicates its commitment to counter and exert pressure on China, a Taiwanese think tank said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 10, 2018
By: Lu Yi-hsuan and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The passage of two US guided missile destroyers through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday was not an isolated incident, but a signal of the expansion of the US’ military presence in the region, Institute for National Policy Research executive director Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said yesterday.

US forces in Japan and Guam are to expand their reach to the south and west respectively, he said, adding that the US military is likely to normalize naval drills around Taiwan as a check on China.

Kuo’s comments came after the Ministry of National Defense on Saturday evening took the unusual step of publicizing the transit by the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Benfold and USS Mustin through the Taiwan Strait earlier that day on an apparent northeasterly course.

Kuo said the move should not be seen as an exception or isolated event, but instead as a warning to China from the US that follows on the heels of recent setbacks in US-China relations.    [FULL  STORY]