• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

China-Russia ties aimed at challenging U.S., squeezing Taiwan: NSB

ROC Central News Agency

04/03/2023 07:47 PM

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) China's deepening alignment with Russia is aimed at launching a full-scale competition with the United States while further squeezing Taiwan globally, a National Security Bureau (NSB) report submitted to the Legislative Yuan has said.

After two major internal political meetings, China has cemented its cooperation with Russia while trying to build closer ties with European and Middle Eastern countries at the same time as it kickstarts an all-out competition with the U.S., the report said.

China has also sharpened its carrot-and-stick strategy targeting Taiwan, according to the report, submitted to the Legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee ahead of a hearing it will hold Thursday on Taiwan-U.S. cooperation amid geopolitical uncertainties.

Apart from intensifying gray zone military threats near Taiwan, it said, China had spared no effort in trying to boot Taiwan off the world stage with its growing influence in global affairs, while also trying to draw Taiwanese closer to China.

In response to China's saber rattling on Taiwan, the U.S., Japan and European countries have become more aware of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and have in turn stepped up cooperation with Taiwan as countermeasures, according to the report.

Beyond boosting trade and economic ties with Taiwan, the report said, the U.S. has helped Taiwan strengthen its military capabilities in the face of China's threats and expanded its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific to deter China from changing the status quo.

China, however, has taken a more aggressive posture in opposing the United States, including expanding its global influence diplomatically and improving its image internationally.

Those efforts were particularly evident during and after the annual meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in mid-March.

It started with Beijing's brokering of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the report said, though it questioned whether the two longtime adversaries could actually bridge their differences.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) then met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin March 20-22, and the two issued joint declarations on deepening strategic coordination and economic cooperation and inked 14 cooperation agreements.

Those declarations of greater cooperation led to increased concerns among European countries that the strengthening China-Russian alignment could bolster Russia's war efforts in Ukraine, according to the report.

Beijing has also invited the leaders of Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia to visit China while calling for dialogue with Japan and South Korea to improve ties with neighboring countries, it said.

From March 28-31, China hosted the annual Boao Forum for Asia on Hainan Island with almost 2,000 people attending, including business, academic and trade union representatives from over 50 countries, another sign of Beijing's efforts to boost its international image, the report said.

(By Flor Wang and Wang Cheng-chung)

Enditem/ls