TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Friday (Oct. 1) said that the Pentagon is closely monitoring the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

During an online event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Hicks said that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is something the Department of Defense watches "very carefully,” adding that the U.S. is able to block any such move by Beijing with its large military force already deployed in the region.

Hicks also mentioned that the U.S. has had good relations with Taiwan and has maintained commitments to the East Asian nation since the 1970s, including providing sufficient defense capabilities. The ability of Taiwan to adequately defend itself is a “game-changer” with regard to discouraging China from invading, she said.

The deputy secretary of defense also praised Taiwan as a democratic country with an advanced semiconductor industry and economy. “We have an interest in ensuring democracies can flourish,” Hicks said, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Taiwan.

A total of 39 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Saturday (Oct. 2), the day after a record 38 planes did so, while the Chinese survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 03 was detected sailing north 58 nautical miles east of Orchid Island late Friday. The recent military dispatches by China are a sign that Beijing has not relented its coercive tactics towards Taiwan.