Pentagon: China hinders the US in the Indo-Pacific region

WASHINGTON – The United States is working to overcome obstacles that China is creating in the United States’ quest to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing the Pentagon spokesman John Kirby statement.

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“It is clear that China is investing heavily, especially in air and sea capabilities, which are largely aimed at trying to prevent the United States from gaining access to certain areas of the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

The official said: “We are focused on accomplishing this challenging task and ensuring that we maintain the necessary capabilities and the right operational concepts to fulfill our security commitments in this part of the world.”

He stressed that Washington is in favor of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and intends to “continue to work for this purpose through our network of alliances and partnerships.”

“You have heard the Secretary of State talk about this many times, he believes that the PRC is our number one challenge (…). We are focused on developing capabilities, operational concepts, ensuring that we have the resources and the right strategy. so that we can tackle the PRC as the number one challenge,” Kirby said.

According to him, China uses “harsh tactics” and even economic instruments “to subjugate other nations to its will.”

China may block Taiwanese ports, airports, and flight routes

The mainland Chinese military already has the capability and the means to blockade key ports and airports in Taiwan, as we reported earlier today, citing the Taiwanese military statement on Tuesday.

“Currently, the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) is capable of blockading our most important ports, airports, and flight routes to block our air and sea lines and influence the flow of military supplies and material and technical resources to us,” the statement said.

It notes that at the same time, the PLA seeks to complete the modernization of its armed forces by 2035 to “gain superiority in possible operations against Taiwan and a real opportunity to resist foreign forces, which poses a serious threat to our national security.”

The recent increase in military drills and flights of PRC Air Force aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone is part of what Taipei sees as a carefully planned pursuit strategy.

“His intimidating behavior is not only aimed at reducing our level of combat power and undermining our faith and morale but is also an attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait to ultimately achieve its goal of invading Taiwan without a fight,” the message of the military department.

Taiwan’s chief of staff, Tsai Ing-wen, has already made strengthening the island’s defenses a priority, promising to produce more weapons domestically, including submarines, and increasing purchases of military equipment from the United States, Taiwan’s most important arms supplier.

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