Strengthening the U.S. military presence on Guam and providing arms to Taiwan should be priorities, the chief of the U.S .Indo-Pacific Command said.

Adm. Philip Davidson told a virtual conference of the American Enterprise Institute on Wednesday that Guam, a heavily fortified U.S. island territory in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, China and Japan, should be defended as part of the homeland.

"Guam is absolutely critical in maintaining deterrence and stability in the region," Davidson said. "It is our most critical operating location west of the international dateline. Funding for the air and missile defense of Guam is my No. 1 priority, most importantly because Guam is U.S. homeland. There are 170,000 Americans living in Guam, and their defense is homeland defense."

He mentioned Marine Corps Camp Blaz, established on Guam in 2020 to accommodate up to 5,000 troops, and noted that however well-defended the island chain will be, it is always a potential target for Chinese assault.

"The Guam defense system will allow us to regain the advantage, help us to deter China, and will demonstrate our steadfast commitment to our allies and partners in the region that we are here to stay and to defend what is ours," he added.

A 2020 propaganda video by China's air force depicted an attack on Guam's Andersen Air Force Base.

Davidson also called for "consistent arms sales" to Taiwan as part of a deterrence strategy, noting a recent enlarged presence of Chinese aircraft and ships around Taiwan, suggesting that China increasingly believes Taiwan could successfully be invaded.

"In and around Taiwan over the last several months we've seen an uptick in air activity from the PRC [People's Republic of China] that includes bomber flights to fighter flights, reconnaissance aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, even going so far as to repeatedly penetrate the Taiwan air defense identification zone," Davidson said. "I'm deeply concerned about the next six years, but certainly the course of this decade as well."

Davidson's comments came as he visits Washington government leaders in support of funding the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which has a $4.6 billion price tag in fiscal 2022, and $27 billion through 2027, to build up capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China rebukes Lithuania over Taiwan office
Vilnius (AFP) March 4, 2021
China on Thursday rebuked Lithuania after it said it would open a trade office in Taiwan later this year, further isolating the Baltic EU state from Beijing. A "Lithuanian enterprise office in Taiwan will be opened by the end of the year, as part of our efforts to boost and diversify economic diplomacy in Asia," economy ministry spokeswoman Skaiste Barauskiene told AFP. China's foreign ministry said it "staunchly opposed" the practice of setting up official institutions in Taiwan. "We urge L ... read more