The Pentagon is making a specific effort to correct statements in a People’s Republic of China “readout” of a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese equivalent, claiming that the US “agrees” to a one-China principle.
The claim, reportedly made in a Chinese summary of the senior US-China defense meetings, attempts to suggest that the US would not oppose a Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby specifically and clearly said this is just “not true” and reiterated that the US supports the Taiwan Relations Act which supports the continued sale of US arms to Taiwan and unambiguously supports Taiwanese independence.
“The PRC Ministry published a read out of their own which claims the US agrees to a one-China principle. This is not true,” Kirby explained.
Pentagon Commitment to Taiwan
As part of his explanation regarding US support for Ukraine, Kirby specified that the Pentagon’s commitment to Taiwan and the Asian theater overall remains a huge priority.
“China is the pacing challenge. If you look at our budget, there is a record number of dollars going into research and development. We are investing in the operational concepts and capabilities to help us deter conflict against any adversary,” Kirby said. “Five of our seven treaty alliances are in that part of the world.”