Beijing’s unilateral military provocation is unhelpful to peaceful stability in the region and the development of cross-strait relations, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said yesterday.
“Taiwanese will not support Beijing’s military provocation,” Chang said.
The remarks came after 20 Chinese bombers and jets on Friday entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, an apparent reaction to Taipei and Washington on Thursday signing a memorandum of understanding to bolster maritime cooperation.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft that made the incursion were 10 J-16 multirole fighters, two J-10 multirole fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 marine patrol planes, one KJ-500 early warning and control plane, and one Y-8 tactical reconnaissance plane, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The Y-8s and the H-6Ks flew an almost half-circle path within the zone to the south of Taiwan, while the other aircraft operated in airspace between Taiwan proper and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), a chart provided by the ministry showed.
Chang yesterday said that the nation’s armed forces and national security agencies were in full control of the incident and reacted appropriately.
The ministry on Friday said that the air force scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issuing radio warnings and mobilizing air defense assets until they left.
“This dangerous provocation by autocratic #China highlights the threats faced by democratic #Taiwan on the front line. But we aren’t interested in caving in. Such actions won’t stop us from being a force for good in the world & reliable partner of like-minded countries,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) wrote on his ministry’s Twitter account yesterday.
Separately, the US Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs on Friday wrote on Twitter that “our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid. We urge Beijing to cease its provocative behavior and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.”
The department also urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan,” a department spokesman said in a statement.
China’s show of force was the biggest in terms of number of planes deployed since the defense ministry began to make public PLA aircraft movements near Taiwan in the middle of September last year.
On Feb. 19, nine Chinese planes entered the zone after two US lawmakers reintroduced a bill in the US Senate and US House of Representatives to deter Beijing from using force against Taiwan.
The following day, 11 planes were reported.
China sent numerous planes to the southern part of the zone on the first weekend after US President Joe Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20 in what was widely interpreted as Beijing sending a message to Biden to not continue former US president Donald Trump’s level of support for Taiwan.
In other developments, Chang, in response to a Chinese boycott of apparel brands that expressed concern over Beijing’s human rights record in Xingjiang, yesterday said Beijing should be aware that nothing could be gained by turning patriotic and nationalistic furor against private enterprises.
Such behavior contradicts “the goal of transforming China into a so-called responsible great power,” Chang said. “The authorities in Bejing should confront the issue of Uighur human rights and the reality that only the cessation of oppression would end the international community’s criticism.”
Commenting on Taiwanese entertainers who joined China’s boycott, Chang said: “Our freedom and democracy are what enable Taiwanese to freely express themselves, and this is why we must protect our way of life.”
Public figures should be mindful that their influence brings a measure of responsibility to respect human rights as a universal value, he said.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
A TAIWAN FIRST: The duo are the first badminton players from Taiwan to climb an Olympic podium, and Tai Tzu-ying has a shot at doing the same today Taiwanese badminton duo Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) yesterday won the nation’s first Olympic gold medal in the sport when they prevailed over a third-seeded Chinese pair in the final of the men’s doubles at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee and Wang, both first-time Olympians, defeated Liu Yuchen (劉雨辰) and Li Junhui (李俊慧) 21-18, 21-12 in a 34-minute final at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza. As of yesterday, Taiwan had bagged seven medals in Tokyo — two golds, two silvers and three bronzes — topping its previous best of five medals in 2000 and 2004. Taiwan moved to No. 17 in the
NO ‘ONE CHINA’ LIE: The appropriations act passed the US House of Representatives with a vote of 217-212, but still needs Senate approval and the president’s signature The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a foreign assistance spending bill with an amendment forbidding that funds be used to create, procure or display maps depicting Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China. The amendment was introduced by five Republican representatives — Tom Tiffany, Steve Chabot, Scott Perry, Kat Cammack and Mike Gallagher — and passed unanimously in a bundle with a dozen other amendments. “This is a common sense measure,” Tiffany said, speaking on the House floor on Wednesday. “As we all know, Taiwan has never been part of communist China. The Taiwanese people elect their
‘TEAM TAIWAN’: Taiwanese athletes have performed admirably and raised the nation’s profile, but many abroad still think they are Chinese, an advocate said Advocacy groups have called for the national team to compete under the name “Taiwan” at the Tokyo Olympics, while former Olympian Chi Cheng (紀政) has launched another referendum petition on the issue. Taiwanese athletes have performed outstandingly at the Olympics and have raised the nation’s profile on the world stage, Northern Taiwan Society chairman Lee Chuan-hsin (李川信) said on Friday. “Many foreign news agencies, including Japan’s NHK, have called our delegation ‘Taiwan’ instead of ‘Chinese Taipei.’ Therefore our own people and politicians should also speak of ‘Team Taiwan’ and Taiwanese athletes,” he said. “However, in Taiwan, most of the time the Taiwanese team
THE HOME TEAM: DPP Legislator Kao Chia-yu said she canceled her booking for an AstraZeneca shot as soon as she heard that the Medigen vaccine was an option President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she would get inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Taiwan-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗). Tsai wrote on Facebook that she had registered for her first vaccine dose using the national online COVID-19 vaccination booking system, which allows people to indicate their preferred vaccine brand and to make an appointment when the shot becomes available. Tsai said that she opted for the Medigen vaccine — one of three now available on the system, along with the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines — even though Medigen has yet to deliver any doses or provide a
RSS