Taiwan: Taiwan’s defence ministry has urged China to stop “destructive, unilateral action.” It comes following reports of rising Chinese military activities near the island.
China, considering Taiwan as its territory, conducts frequent military exercises around the island to assert its sovereignty and put pressure on Taipei.
The ministry said that since September 17, 2023, it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a “recent high.”
In the last 24 hours, China’s activities in the region indicated 40 planes crossing the unofficial median line of the Taiwan Strait, a boundary that had been respected until China started crossing it regularly a year ago.
Other aircraft flew south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel, which separates the island from the Philippines.
Beijing claims to have democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal.
According to a statement accompanying the report, China’s actions in the past day have presented significant security challenges in the strait and the surrounding region.
The statement emphasised that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the shared responsibility of all regional parties.
According to the ministry, “the continuous military harassment by the Communist military can easily lead to a sharp increase in tensions and worsen regional security.”
The ministry said it called on China to “immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions.”
Mr. Tony Hu, a former high-ranking official at the US defence department responsible for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, mentioned that the Chinese activities, while within international airspace and not violating international law, were intended to intimidate Taiwan and showcase their strength.
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