Taiwan today expressed its gratitude for the criticism leveled by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany against China’s recent maritime operation east of the island. Taipei stated that Beijing’s actions violated international law and compromised the interests of the broader global community.
In a message published on the social media platform X, the Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, Joseph Wu, praised a joint declaration issued by the de facto diplomatic missions of the UK, France, and Germany on the island. He also welcomed the separate criticisms voiced by the United States regarding the Chinese maneuvers.
“A rules-based international order, the status quo, regional peace, and stability are all that matter to us. The People’s Republic of China must put an end to its maritime expansionism,” Wu wrote.
The diplomatic fallout comes roughly two and a half weeks after Beijing launched a “special maritime control operation” in waters situated east of Taiwan. The move was widely seen as a direct retaliation to announcements from Japan and the Philippines that they would initiate bilateral negotiations to delimit their respective exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves in that specific region.
Read more about this topic: China’s most advanced aircraft carrier transits Taiwan strait
According to the Chinese government, its operation is intended to exercise “administrative maritime control jurisdiction,” enhance deep-sea patrolling capabilities, monitor traffic in “important maritime zones,” ensure navigation safety, and “safeguard national interests.”
However, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has recorded a massive spike in Chinese naval activity this month, tracking over 100 official Chinese vessels in the waters surrounding the island. This marks a sharp escalation compared to the 44 ships registered in May and the 40 spotted in April.
In an unusual joint statement released on Wednesday, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany expressed profound concern over China’s deployment, arguing that it poses a direct threat to regional stability, freedom of navigation, and international shipping security.
Concurrently, a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)—the de facto U.S. embassy on the island—warned that Beijing’s attempt to claim jurisdiction over waters that Taipei has administered “peacefully” for more than seven decades would backfire.
Read more about this topic: Taiwan warns response time to a Chinese attack is shrinking
“It will only increase tensions and compromise the peaceful resolution of differences that China itself claims to seek,” the AIT official stated, as reported by the Taipei Times.
Echoing these concerns, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, the body responsible for overseeing the Coast Guard, emphasized that freedom of navigation and maritime safety in the Taiwan Strait are fundamental to global commerce.
“The international order in the waters surrounding Taiwan has never been an issue that concerns Taiwan alone, but rather the entire international community,” the council stated.
Beijing continues to view Taiwan as an “inalienable part” of its territory and has refused to rule out the use of force to bring the island under its control. The Taiwanese government firmly rejects China’s sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the island’s 23 million residents have the right to decide their political future.
