Taiwan on Monday condemned China’s military maneuvers around its territory, which began after the meeting between the island’s leader and the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
“It is a fundamental right of a sovereign country for its head of state to carry out diplomatic activities,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff YJ Liu said, adding that “China has no right to comment on this matter.”
Liu accused China of “clearly defying the international order” through “provocative manoeuvres” and “undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.”
The spokesman thanked the United States for “active voice” at a “crucial moment” and called on Beijing to “exercise self-control and stop coercing the Taiwanese people.”
“Taiwan will not escalate conflicts or provoke disputes,” Liu said, though he assured that the island “will firmly defend its sovereignty and national security.”
The Chinese army has sent dozens of combat aircraft and warships near Taiwan in recent days, following the meeting between the island’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen, and the speaker of the United States House of Representatives. , Kevin McCarthy, in California.
China also said it had deployed fighter jets carrying “live ammunition” and the aircraft carrier Shandong to carry out “simulated attacks” against key Taiwanese targets.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry condemned China’s moves, describing them as “an unreasonable act that endangers regional security and stability.”
At the end of World War II, Taiwan became part of the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government. After the defeat against the Communist Party, in the Chinese Civil War, in 1949, the Nationalist Government took refuge on the island, which maintains, to this day, the official name of the Republic of China, in opposition to the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese mainland.
Beijing considers the island part of its territory and threatens reunification by force if Taipei formally declares its independence.
Source: TSF
