TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Wednesday (Feb. 15) called on all countries to warn China against waging war on Taiwan and said Beijing should not use a visit by a U.S. congressman to take military action against Taipei.

At a Brookings Institution event, Sherman said the Chinese spy balloon incident has highlighted Beijing's attempt to alter the world order through its provocative actions in the South China Sea, human rights abuses, utilization of economic coercion, and its "threatening behavior against Taiwan." She emphasized U.S. commitment to its "one China policy" and opposition to changes in the Taiwan Strait status quo have remained unchanged, but what has changed is "Beijing's growing coercion."

Therefore, Sherman said that the U.S. will continue to aid Taiwan in "maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability." When asked to comment on reports of timelines for China's invasion of Taiwan, Sherman said that any military conflict that occurs in the Taiwan Strait will not only impact security in Asia, but will also affect "economic security for the entire world."

Sherman pointed out the Russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated that conflicts in one part of the world can impact other regions of the globe. She asserted that the same would be the case for a war in the Taiwan Strait.

She then urged all countries to "tell the PRC: This affects me. This affects my people, my country. This is not a good idea." The diplomat then stressed that the U.S. hopes that China "does not use a visit by a member of Congress to Taiwan as a pretext for military action."