China is the “sole risk to regional peace and stability,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in response to today’s meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump in Beijing, where Xi said that Taiwan was “the most important issue” in US-China relations.
The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) are not subordinate to each other, and Beijing has no right to represent Taiwan in any international arena, MOFA said.
Taiwan would continue to cooperate with the US and other countries that uphold freedom and democracy, the ministry said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has continued its use of “gray zone” warfare tactics in the Taiwan Strait and waters surrounding Taiwan in an attempt to intimidate Taipei, it said.
Three PLA aircraft and six navy ships were spotted operating around Taiwan as of 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said.
All three aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, it said.
The armed forces “monitored the situation and employed [patrol] aircraft, navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” it added.
China’s military aggression is the driving cause of instability and security issues in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference following a Cabinet meeting.
Only by enhancing national defense and building effective, cooperative deterrence can Taiwan ensure regional peace and stability, she said.
The government believes any actions that would "contribute to regional stability and manage the risks posed by authoritarian expansion" should be viewed positively, she said.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislative caucus said that Taiwan’s security is in the best interest of the entire world, not just the US.
Taiwan’s deepening ties with the US across defense, economic and technological fields would not be altered by one singular meeting, it added.
The nation’s fate cannot be decided unilaterally by China, DPP caucus chief executive Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said, adding that Taipei is a valuable and long-standing partner to the US.
Prior to today’s meeting, the US Department of State and White House repeatedly stated their support for Taiwan’s security, DPP caucus secretary-general Fan Yun (范雲) added.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
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