US official warns China against ‘catastrophic’ move on Taiwan

Kurt Campbell says Beijing assessing world's response to Hong Kong crackdown to understand potential reaction on Taiwan

A senior US official has warned China not to seek emboldenment from its Hong Kong crackdown to move against Taiwan, as Japan's deputy leader said it would defend Taiwan against an attack.

Kurt Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the US national security council, told a forum on Tuesday the US had tried to send a clear message of deterrence across the Taiwan Strait" and any attempt by China to move on Taiwan would be catastrophic".