U.S. sent three carrier groups near Taiwan during elections
Friday, April 18, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
Three U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups have been deployed in waters near Taiwan, according to U.S. officials.
The carrier strike groups include the USS Kitty Hawk, the USS Nimitz and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The large carrier presence was part of a U.S. policy of deterrence in the weeks prior to the Taiwan presidential inauguration of Ma Ying-jeou. The deployment was precautionary and intended to send a signal to China’s military that U.S. forces are prepared to respond to any intimidation or actual use of force by the Mainland against the island.
One strike group has been redeployed to the Persian Gulf following the elections which included a referendum strongly opposed by Beijing, The Washington Times reported. However two carrier groups remain near the island.
The referendum concerned support for a Taipei government effort to rejoin the United Nations as Taiwan, rather than the Republic of China, which if passed Beijing might regard as a provocative move toward formal independence.
U.S. officials have grown increasingly worried about the military balance along the Taiwan Strait that has shifted in Beijing’s favor over the past five years with the deployment of new and more lethal missiles, new aircraft with more advanced weaponry and additional submarines and warships in the region.
China has vowed to use force against Taiwan if the island’s government declares formal independence.