China employed a record 125 aircraft today as part of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan and its outlying islands. According to the Associated Press, “China made clear it was to punish Taiwan’s president for rejecting Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over the self-governed island.” The drills came four days after Taiwan’s National Day – which celebrates the founding of its government – when Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te used his speech that day to defend his country’s democracy and way of life.
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Robert Sutter, a Professor of Practice of International Affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Sutter’s government career saw service as senior specialist and director of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Congressional Research Service, the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and the Pacific at the US Government’s National Intelligence Council, the China division director at the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research and professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Sutter’s areas of expertise include U.S.-China relations; China’s rise-domestic and international implications; Chinese foreign relations; Contemporary U.S. policy toward Asia and the Pacific; Political, security and economic development in Asia and the Pacific; and History of China.
Sutter says, “These shows of force have become pretty routine; Lai says something and Beijing reacts. Lai's telling citizens to not worry too much. Taiwan seems a lot more worried about the results of the U.S. election than about another Chinese show of force.”
If you would like to speak with Prof. Sutter, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass Restuccio at [email protected].
-GW-