China's foreign minister steps up threats against Taiwan
NBCNov 25, 2022
The Facts
The Taiwanese defense ministry said Friday that a long-range TB-001 Chinese combat drone had circled the island as 38 warplanes and six navy vessels were detected around Taiwan in 24 hours from Thursday morning.
Nineteen of them, including the Chinese-manufactured, long-range combat unmanned aerial vehicle TB-001, reportedly entered the island's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Beijing is waging psychological warfare on Taiwan by periodically sending Chinese military aircraft into the island nation's ADIZ. This pressure campaign aims to intimidate Taiwanese leaders and their citizens to achieve a political outcome favorable to China. The US must stand with its democratic ally and reject efforts by Beijing to undermine Taiwanese sovereignty.
Pro-China narrative
The island of Taiwan has been an integral part of Chinese territory for centuries. However, the Chinese people on both sides of the Straits are yet to be reunified following the 1949 split. Beijing has long sought to peacefully reunify the motherland under the agreed-upon One China policy, but secessionist Taiwanese officials backed by the US have recently begun to pursue provocative actions that are threatening the status quo.
