The EU and several countries in East Asia, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, yesterday voiced concerns over the latest Chinese live-fire military drills held near Taiwan and urged restraint to avoid escalating tensions.
In a statement yesterday, the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic service, said that China's action "further increases cross-strait tensions and endangers international peace and stability."
Photo: EPA-EFE
"Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity. We reiterate our calls to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions, which should be resolved through cross-strait dialogue," the statement said.
Some EU members, including Germany and France, issued similar statements through their foreign ministries.
The German federal government called for "restraint and dialogue," adding that "any change to the status quo must occur only peacefully and by mutual agreement."
France expressed concern about "the scale of Chinese military exercises near Taiwan and urged all sides to refrain from escalation in order to preserve peace and stability in the region."
Meanwhile, the UK, via its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said it did not support "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo or any activity that risks destabilizing it."
Japan, South Korea and the Philippines issued similar responses.
Japan's Kyodo News reported that Tokyo told Beijing on Monday that it expected issues related to Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
South Korea yesterday called for "peace and stability" to prevail in the Taiwan Strait.
The Philippines' top envoy to Taiwan, Corazon A Padiernos, said in a statement that Manila was watching the drills around Taiwan and stood ready to assist Filipinos in Taiwan as needed and advised them to remain calm.
"Developments that raise the risk of tension, miscalculation or conflict in the Taiwan Strait and the wider region are deeply worrying, particularly given their potential impact on regional stability, trade routes and the safety and livelihood of the many Filipinos residing and working in Taiwan," it said.
"We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid escalatory actions, and keep communication channels open," it added.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) expressed Taiwan's gratitude to all of its partners around the world for voicing their concerns.
The military yesterday said the Chinese People's Liberation Army fired 27 rockets during the second day of its latest military drill near Taiwan, with 10 landing at sea within Taiwan's 24-nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone, making it the closest Chinese live-fired armaments have come to Taiwan.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS