The United States has stopped issuing official statements about the passage of its warships through the Taiwan Strait since Donald Trump returned to the White House – a move some analysts believe is designed to dampen down tensions with Beijing.
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Such transits were announced regularly while Joe Biden was president, but since Trump’s return there have only been three known operations.
Beijing has long complained about the “public hype” surrounding such operations, but despite the apparent low-profile retreat, some Chinese observers have described it as a “tactical” move with no substantive change in policy.
The US has also confirmed all three transits under Trump 2.0 when questioned by the media.
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In response, the People’s Liberation Army accused the two countries of undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. But, in contrast to previous years when the US announced such operations as a matter of routine, the PLA did not complain about “public hype”.
