US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Saturday that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be “devastating”, while criticizing China’s unwillingness to hold talks.
Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a security conference organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, that the whole world has an interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
“The security of commercial shipping lanes and global supply chains depends on it (the Taiwan Strait). So does freedom of navigation around the world. Make no mistake: a conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating,” he added. He added that America is “insistent” on maintaining peace and security in the region, and continued, “as well as a number of other countries around the world, and this number is still growing.” Austin had asked his Chinese counterpart, Li Changfu, to meet on the sidelines of the conference. However, the Chinese side refused. Before the talks, Li said that China reserves the right to use force to incorporate Taiwan into its territory, while continuing to pursue “peaceful reunification.”
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