Taiwan War Would Be Devastating, U.S. Tells China

A war over Taiwan would be “devastating” and affect the global economy “in ways we cannot imagine,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned, as he underlined US support for the island democracy, Brad Lendon and Haley Britzky reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Austin said that conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable.

“Conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable. Deterrence is strong today – and it’s our job to keep it that way,” Austin said in remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit on Saturday, which is being attended by representatives from dozens of countries including China.

“The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The security of commercial shipping lanes and global supply chains depends on it. And so does freedom of navigation worldwide. Make no mistake: conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating."

In a question-and-answer session after his speech, Austin added: “Conflict in the Taiwan Strait would affect the global economy in ways we cannot imagine.”

China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and its increasingly frequent military exercises near and around the island have raised concerns about how far it will go to realize that claim.

China’s leader Xi Jinping has pointedly not ruled out the use of force. Shortly after Austin spoke on Saturday, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng told China’s CCTV that the US defense chief’s comments on Taiwan were “completely wrong,” Eric Cheung also reported for CNN.

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