Tsai welcomes retired US admiral for China talks

Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen yesterday welcomed the former head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who had warned the island could face an invasion from China this decade, as the mainland ramps up pressure on the self-governing island.

Retired Adm. Phil Davidson, along with a group including colleagues from the U.S. think tank the National Bureau of Asian Research, arrived Monday in the capital Taipei following a string of delegate visits to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, since tensions with the mainland spiked in August with the visit of then-U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“I’m here to listen and learn from our hosts; thus far, I’ve done both,” he said. “I’m looking forward to continuing our discussions with President Tsai today and hearing her perspectives on the security environment and her outlook on U.S.-Taiwan relations.”

China’s People’s Liberation Army has stepped up its pressure on Taiwan in the past few years, sending navy vessels and fighter planes near the island.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that 20 Chinese aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait — a long-time unofficial buffer zone between the sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949. It sent 14 other planes in nearby airspace.

A day later, the ministry said 17 Chinese aircraft crossed the median line Wednesday, with a total of 23 planes sent to fly around the island.

“Faced with the expansion of authoritarianism, Taiwan must strengthen our ability to defend ourselves,” she said, pointing to the upcoming extension of mandatory military service that she had just announced in December. MDT/AP