Rumors Of War: China Warns Of WWIII - 'At Any Time'

China warns World War Three could be triggered 'at any time'

Chris Jewers

Ross Ibbetson

• State-backed newspaper said there is 'almost no room for manoeuvre, teetering on the edge of a face-off'
• It claimed that China was ready for all-out war with the US, warning that Taiwan was 'playing with fire' 
• Taiwan, a democracy which considers itself a sovereign state, urged China to halt its 'proactive actions' 
• Joe Biden said he had spoken to President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and that he would abide by agreement
• However, that conversation took place on Sept. 9 and it's not entirely clear what agreement was reached
• Taiwan has warned that without help from its allies, Chinese 'authoritarianism' will replace its democracy 
• British and American aircraft carriers were pictured sailing though Philippine Sea in a show of strength 

China has warned that World War Three could be triggered 'at any time' after it sent dozens of warplanes into Taiwan's airspace.

An article in the state-backed Global Times newspaper on Tuesday said that 'collusion' between the US and Taiwan was so 'audacious' that the situation 'has almost lost any room for manoeuvre, teetering on the edge of a face-off.'

It claimed that the people of China were ready to back all-out war with the US, warning the island nation against 'playing with fire'. 

Almost 150 Chinese warplanes have breached Taiwan's airspace since Friday, including 56 jets on Monday in a dramatic escalation of Chinese aggression against the self-governing democracy.

Joe Biden said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and they agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement as tensions continue to ratchet up between Taipei and Beijing. 

'I've spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree...we'll abide by the Taiwan agreement,' Biden said to reporters at the White House on Tuesday. 

However, that call took place on September 9 and it's not clear what agreement he was referring to.  

  

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday vowed to 'do whatever it takes' to guard Taiwan against invasion as she indicated that without help from the country's allies 'authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy.' 

It comes as British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth ('Big Lizzie') was shown sailing in the Philippine Sea in a joint exercise with two US carriers - the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson - and Japan's helicopter destroyer JS Ise.

The armada, which also includes a number of warships from six different countries in total, trained together over the weekend in the region amid the rising tensions. 

The recent voyages through the Strait of Taiwan by the British and American navies, coupled with the new Aukus defence pact have infuriated Beijing and sparked more shows of strength in the South China Sea. 

In an article published on Tuesday, Tawain's president Tsai said: 'They should remember that if Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the democratic alliance system.

'It would signal that in today's global contest of values, authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy.' 

Taiwan hopes for peaceful coexistence with China, she said, but 'if its democracy and way of life are threatened, Taiwan will do whatever it takes to defend itself.'

Tsai's government on Monday urged Beijing to stop 'irresponsible provocative actions' after the warplanes breached Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ). 

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China Tests Taiwan After Biden's Afghanistan Debacle

Austin Bay

On Oct. 4, 56 mainland Chinese combat aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait and illegally penetrated sovereign Taiwanese airspace. That aerial "show of force" rated as the largest mainland Chinese airspace violation since 1949 when Chinese Nationalist soldiers retreated to the island and dug in.

According to numerous media reports, the 56-plane demonstration by the Chinese Communist Party's Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) culminated three days of sustained military saber-rattling harassment. There have been other sustained military displays, including combat engagements, such as the air and artillery battles in the late 1950s.

The headlines erupted. At the military tactical and operational levels behind the headlines, the intrusion probed Taiwanese air defenses. It was recon. Very possibly the CCP's military gleaned valuable intelligence on technical capabilities, such as radar range and missile battery readiness. The probe could have provided insight into the Taiwan military's decision-making. How long will the Taiwanese wait before intercepting the PLAAF attack formation?

The strait is narrow. Delay has fatal consequences.

At the strategic level, the penetration was another provocative Beijing test of Taiwan's faith in reliable American support of its defense. To be frank, U.S. support for the defense of Taiwan translates into protecting the small democracy's very existence.

In a theoretical frame, the Chinese show of force air operation was a classic example of a "power cocktail," mixing what strategists dub basic elements of power, in this instance diplomatic, intelligence/information and military power.

However, Communist China's threat to Taiwan isn't theory. From Mao Zedong on, senior Chinese Communist leaders have vowed to seize Taiwan. Often Beijing obfuscates that vow with rhetoric like a "formal declaration of Taiwan independence" will immediately lead to a cross-Strait war.

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