Taipei, April 1 (IANS) Strongly condemning China’s joint military drill around Taiwan, Taipei on Tuesday said that Beijing’s provocations are threatening regional peace.
This comes after 19 Chinese Navy ships operating around Taiwan were detected on Tuesday morning.
The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence condemned the move, which it called a disruption to the status quo, and said it had deployed military vessels and aircraft in response to the threats.
“19 Chinese Navy ships operating around Taiwan were detected on Tuesday morning. Taiwan’s Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities,” the defence ministry stated.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded China stop destabilising the status quo and Indo-Pacific peace and stability through “reckless behaviour.”
Taking to X, the ministry posted, “We strongly condemn China’s joint military drills near Taiwan. CCP’s provocations from the East & South China Seas to Oceania threaten regional peace. We urge Beijing to stop destabilising the status quo & Indo-Pacific peace & stability through reckless behaviour.”
Meanwhile, the defence ministry said that Taiwan adheres to the principle of “no escalation of conflict, no provocation of disputes, responding prudently to grey-zone harassment to safeguard national sovereignty and the security of the people.”
The drills took place after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth left Taiwan following visits to Japan and the Philippines. During his visit, he criticised China and said Japan was “indispensable” for tackling Chinese aggression.
“Taiwan is their best excuse. That’s why they chose to launch such military drills as soon as the US defence secretary left Asia,” Taiwan’s leading newspaper, Taipei Times, reported, quoting an official.
The defence ministry, earlier on Tuesday, said that the PLA Navy vessels, led by the aircraft carrier, Shandong, were detected from March 29 and entered into Taiwan’s response zone. It said that Taiwanese forces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
The ministry statement read that China continues to escalate military activities in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, like intensifying military threats and challenging the international order and regional stability, thereby becoming the greatest “troublemaker” in the eyes of the international community.
China also confirmed that it was conducting joint army, navy and rocket exercises around Taiwan.
Beijing even went on to call Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-Te a “parasite”.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the US and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait and opposition to the Chinese coercion in the East China and South China seas following US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani’s ministerial meeting.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed the support and stated that the country values democratic partners in a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Last month, Taiwanese President Lai had labelled China a “foreign hostile force” and ramped up national security measures in the face of growing threats and a string of spying cases.
China claims Taiwan to be a part of its territory that must be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary. In recent years, Beijing has increased military exercises in the Taiwan Strait to intensify pressure on Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the US and its allies consider the Taiwan Strait as an international waterway and routinely send warships through the strait, asserting their influence in the Indo-Pacific region and countering the growing influence of China.
–IANS
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