Officials from the US, Japan and other nations yesterday called for peace in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing initiated two days of military exercises around Taiwan days after President William Lai (賴清德) took office.
China’s military drills were expected, but “concerning,” US Marine Corps Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka told an audience in Canberra.
“We expected something like this, frankly,” the US Indo-Pacific Command deputy commander said.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
“Just because we expect that behavior does not mean that we should not condemn it, and we need to condemn it publicly,” he said. “It is concerning.”
Other nations should speak out against the drills, Sklenka said.
“It’s one thing when the United States condemns the Chinese, but there’s a far more powerful effect, I believe, when it comes from nations within this region,” he told reporters. “I also believe in my heart of hearts that conflict between our two nations is not inevitable, and it’s not a foregone conclusion.”
Sklenka said he believed the “target” of China’s exercises was its own domestic population, not the international community.
The exercises are part of a sustained pressure campaign against Taiwan stretching back to 2022, Sklenka said, adding that once-rare incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone have become normal.
Meanwhile, Canberra is concerned that large-scale Chinese military operations in the Taiwan Strait risk causing an accident or escalating tensions, a spokesperson for Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) said.
“The risk of an accident and potential escalation is growing,” the spokesperson said. “Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in all of our interests.”
In Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called for dialogue.
“We hope for the issues over Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue; that has been our consistent position,” he said. “It is important to clearly communicate the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait directly to China, and work closely with allies including the United States and clearly communicate the shared position of each country.”
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa weighed in while visiting the US, saying Japan and Taiwan share values and principles, including freedom, democracy, basic rights and rule of law.
Taiwan “is our extremely important partner that we have close economic relations and exchanges of people, and is our precious friend,” she told reporters in Washington, where she held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
She said they discussed Taiwan and the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait should be maintained when asked during a briefing about the drills.
Additional reporting by AP
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