China flew a long-range nuclear-capable bomber outside China for the first time since President-elect Donald Trump spoke with the president of Taiwan, two US officials told Fox News.
The dramatic show of force was meant to send a message to the new administration, according to the officials. It marks the second time Beijing flew bombers in the region since Trump was elected.
Even more concerning for the Pentagon, China has been seen by American intelligence satellites preparing to ship more advanced surface-to-air missiles to its contested islands in the South China Sea.
President elect Donald Trump has, in blundering fashion, signaled a more aggressive posture towards China via a break with diplomatic protocol and blustering statements on Twitter.
Trump said in an interview yesterday, “I don’t want China dictating to me” and said, “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a One China policy.” The “One China” policy, essentially a polite fiction in which the U.S. doesn’t explicitly acknowledge Taiwanese sovereignty, has kept the peace for four decades. But it’s opposed by some China hawks, who seem to be directing (or manipulating) the action in the Trump transition, and are eager to provoke another major power for no clear reason. China responded to Trump’s comments today, expressing “serious concern”:
Adhering to the One China principle is the political bedrock for the development U.S.-China relations. If it is comprised or disrupted, the sound and steady growth of the bilateral relationship, as well as bilateral cooperation in major fields would be out of question.
In other comments in his interview yesterday, Trump said that he would continue to refuse to participate in daily intelligence and national security briefings. “I’m, like, a smart person,” he said. “I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.”