The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday condemned China’s latest military drills around Taiwan, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) expressed regrets over Beijing’s actions.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) early yesterday announced that it had launched the drills, called “Joint Sword-2024B,” in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan, as a “stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwanese independence forces.”
The announcement came four days after President William Lai (賴清德) delivered his first Double Ten National Day address, in which he said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has “no right to represent Taiwan” and reiterated that the two sides of the Strait are “not subordinate” to each other.
Photo: Reuters
The DPP said the exercises would not stop Taiwan’s pursuit of democracy, civil liberties and peace, nor would they alter the “status quo” in the Strait.
Lai extended a message of goodwill to the PRC during his speech, which the international community acknowledged as inspiring confidence and projecting stability, it said.
It is unfortunate that China has distorted the meaning of Lai’s speech, it said, adding that the military drills contravene international law, go against the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and endanger the safety of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people.
The DPP urged China to recognize the Republic of China’s status as equals and to abandon their strategy of military escalation, as it only further unifies the commitment of Taiwanese to protect their sovereignty and democracy, and is counterproductive to regional peace.
The KMT said the drills severely threaten regional security and undermine cross-strait ties.
Instead of confrontation, both sides should engage in “exchanges and dialogue,” it said, adding that the drills have significantly disrupted regional transportation routes and supply chains.
The KMT said it supports increasing defense spending, especially to further develop the country’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, as well as to enhance Taiwan’s ability to deter China’s aggression.
It also urged the government to abide by the Constitution regarding Taiwan’s political status and to improve cross-strait relations to minimize risks within the Strait.
TPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) asked on what legal grounds could China justify the provocative military exercises.
Regardless of the content of Lai’s speech, it is subject to judgement and criticism by Taiwanese, and it was not the business of “communist China,” he added.
China’s behavior would not win it any support within Taiwan, and would only further alienate Taiwanese, he said.
The TPP resolutely opposes China’s military aggression, he said, adding that China should cease its detrimental actions and seek to engage with Taiwan through goodwill gestures.
Additional reporting by CNA
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
RSS