Pattaya One News
Home » World War 3 could be triggered ‘at any time’
International News

World War 3 could be triggered ‘at any time’

China has threatened a new world war after sending a record number of fighter jets into Taiwan airspace.

It said WWIII could be triggered ‘at any time’ in an article in the state-backed newspaper Global Times.  

Taiwan defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng called tensions ‘the most severe in the 40 years since I’ve enlisted’.

In a display of sustained military harassment, China flew warplanes 149 times toward its neighbour over four days from China’s National Day on Friday until Monday.

No shots have been fired and the planes have stayed away from the mainland, but Mr Kuo-cheng warned of the risk of a ‘misfire’.

The White House called the flights risky and destabilising, with China accusing the US and Taiwan of ‘audacious collusion’.

The Global Times piece said the situation ‘had almost lost any room for manoeuvre’, leaving relations ‘teetering on the edge of a face-off.’

It claimed the people of China were ready to back all-out war with the US, warning Taiwan against ‘playing with fire’. 

China accuses the US of being provocative in selling weapons to Taiwan and its ships navigating the Taiwan Strait.

The authoritarian state claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any international engagement with the island including, visits by foreign government officials.

A group of French senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit this morning, despite Chinese attempts to block it.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for a ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes on Tiananmen Square to mark Martyrs' Day, in Beijing, China September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
China President Xi Jinping (Picture: Reuters)
Front to back; HNLMS Evertsen, JS Izumo, HMS Defender, HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMCS Winnipeg, JS Ise, RFA Tidespring. UK Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group 21 HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Defender, RFA Tidespring and HNLMS Evertsen from CSG21 sails with Japanese ships JS Izumo and JS Ise along with the Canadian ship HMCS Winnipeg in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 2021. With increasingly strong talk in support of Taiwan, a new deal to supply Australia with nuclear submarines, and the launch of a European strategy for greater engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. and its allies are becoming growingly assertive in their approach toward a rising China. (UK Ministry of Defence via AP)
The US and its allies are becoming increasingly assertive in their approach toward China (Picture: AP)

Their embassy in France said ahead of the trip: ‘It will not only damage China’s core interests and undermine China-French relations, but will also damage France’s own reputation and interests.’

While Taiwan has complained repeatedly about China’s planes harrying them, the situation is far less dramatic than the crisis ahead of the 1996 presidential election, the last time the two were on the brink of war.

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 08: A man waves a British national flag as the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sails out of Tokyo bay on September 08, 2021 in Yokosuka, Japan. The visit by the Royal Navy's flagship vessel took place on the second leg of the ship's maiden deployment and involved joint exercises with Japan's Self-Defense Forces as well as the U.S and Dutch navies. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images)
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails out of Tokyo bay after a joint exercise with Japan’s Self-Defence Forces last month (Picture: Getty)

Then, China carried out missile tests in waters close to Taiwan hoping to prevent people voting for Lee Teng-hui, who China suspected of harbouring pro-independence views. Lee won convincingly.

China says Taiwan should be taken by force if necessary. They split in 1949 amid the Chinese civil war.

Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.

mtro

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]

Related posts

Pattaya One New Thailand, your go-to source for global and local news, alongside effective business advertising opportunities, tailored to the vibrant city of Pattaya.
Translate »