Top Biden administration officials on their first tour through the Pacific are facing pressure from allies and parts of the U.S. military to respond to China’s increasing provocations, which senior defense officials see as part of an effort by Beijing to reset the American-led order in Asia by challenging territorial claims below the level of armed conflict.
China is pushing on multiple regional pressure points, from the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, to Taiwan, where the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has used near-constant incursions into their airspace to burn out Japanese and Taiwanese pilots and aircraft, officials said.
