President William Lai (賴清德) convened a high-level national security meeting today instructing the armed forces and other government agencies to handle military drills China announced it had launched around Taiwan from this morning.
The nation's armed forces are "fully monitoring" the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) drills, and the Executive Yuan is also paying attention to other issues concerning social stability, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said.
Photo from William Lai's Facebook
In a statement, Kuo reiterated Taipei's emphasis on "the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region," which she said was also the "broad consensus among the international community."
"China should face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and respect the Taiwanese people's choice of a democratic and free way of life," she said. "It should cease military provocations that undermine regional peace and stability, and stop threatening Taiwan's democracy and freedom."
"China should understand the goodwill expressed by the president on National Day and address its own domestic economic and livelihood issues, rather than persisting in using military force to coerce neighboring countries," she added.
"In the face of external threats, our government will continue to defend the free and democratic constitutional system, with full confidence and capability to safeguard national security," Kuo was quoted as saying.
National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told reporters in Taipei that the drill is "inconsistent" with international protocols that live-fire exercises on the open seas should be announced in advance.
China's drill, code-named "Joint Sword-2024B," also violates the "fundamental spirit" of the UN Charter that stipulates that the peaceful settlement of disputes is a mandatory obligation for member states, Wu said.
"The president has convened a high-level meeting on national security in response to the threat from China's military and has issued clear instructions," Wu told reporters.
Government agencies are also preparing for any potential Chinese actions that could affect Taiwan's society and economy, Wu added.
In Washington, the US Department of State said it was concerned by China's "unwarranted" and potentially escalatory military drills around Taiwan.
"The United States is seriously concerned by the PLA joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
"The PRC [People's Republic of China] response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation," Miller said.
The PLA's drill announcement earlier this morning only said it would begin the exercises the same day, but did not say how long the drills would last, Wu told reporters, adding that the government is "watching closely" to see whether they will be expanded or extended.
China's announcement of a military drill came four days after Lai gave his Double Ten National Day address on Thursday last week, in which he said China has "no right to represent Taiwan" and reiterated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate" to each other.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) criticized Lai for using various means to "sell the fallacy of 'Taiwan independence,'" and accused him of revealing "his pernicious intention to escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait for political gain."
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