China made its largest show of force around Taiwan in decades in a time when President Joe Biden is seemingly less involved as commander-in-chief, moving over for President-elect Donald Trump.
The Chinese navy deployed a group of 60 ships and 30 coast guard vessels off the coast of Taiwan this week in what appears to be their largest show of force since 1996, according to the Wall Street Journal Tuesday. The move comes as Biden has increasingly winded down his duties in anticipation of passing his responsibilities to Trump, punctuated by him appearing to fall asleep during a meeting with African leaders in Angola Dec. 4.
The meeting was intended to discuss U.S. funding of humanitarian projects in the nation with an estimated price tag of $1 billion. The initiatives in the county are intended in part to counter China’s influence in Africa, according to a White House briefing Dec. 1.
“To our east, there’s a wall of [People’s Liberation Army] PLA Navy forces, and right next to our air defense identification zone, there’s another one,” Taiwan intelligence officer Lt. Gen. Hsieh Jih-sheng told the WSJ Tuesday.”They’re sending us a pretty clear message: to turn the Taiwan Strait into their internal waters.”
A national security council spokesperson denied that Biden fell asleep, saying he was “simply listening to his counterpart’s remarks,” according to Fox News.
Biden has been criticized for caving to China, with some arguing that Beijing has failed to respond to diplomatic pressure and continues to attempt to undermine the U.S. via cyberwarfare, election interference, domestic espionage activities and drug trafficking. Rumors of his apathy towards his duties were only fueled by a substantial drop off in his public appearances since he dropped his reelection bid, according to Axios.
Taiwanese authorities have also counted 47 warplanes and 21 vessels around the island in the last 24 hours, according to the WSJ. Officials said the purpose of the maneuvers is to prepare for a potential blockade of the island in the event of war.
President-elect Trump has not stated a formal policy on Taiwan since he won the 2024 election, but also said in an NBC interview Sunday that he has good relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and would prefer if the island were left alone.
“We talked about other things. But I have a very good relationship, and I hope he doesn’t do it,” Trump told NBC.
The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation under the “one china policy,” which only acknowledges the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate authority, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A National Security Council spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation after publication that the notion that Biden is apathetic in the waning days of his presidency is a “ridiculous assertion,” and that Biden has been “fully engaged” in managing China relations.
“Under President Biden, we have made America stronger and positioned us to outcompete-China [sic] through significant investments in the United States, developed closer relationships with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, increased our deterrent capabilities, and diminished China’s ability to exploit our most sensitive technologies,” the spokesperson told the DCNF. “At the same time, we have carefully managed this relationship through skilled diplomacy to prevent competition from veering into conflict.”
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs deferred to their Dec. 11 press release, demanding the People’s Republic of China immediately cease their maneuvers and urging “democratic partners” to stand behind Taiwan.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect comment from the NSC and the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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