Taiwan’s position on Chinese military manouvre

Sir: As part of President Lai Ching-te’s October 10 address, he emphasised that “Taiwan was willing to work with China to address climate change, combat communicable diseases, and maintain regional security in the pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity for the well-being of both peoples.”

Instead of embracing the goodwill expressed by Taiwan’s leader, China on October 14 launched its so-called Joint Sword-2024B military drill around Taiwan. Taiwan swiftly denounced these actions as provocative and destabilising, emphasising the need for regional peace. The Taiwanese government issued a statement expressing deep concern over the escalating tensions and urged China to prioritise stability in the region.

This latest military maneuver is just one instance of China’s persistent efforts to intimidate Taiwan and assert dominance in the area. China has previously deployed military aircraft and vessels near Taiwan as a means of demonstrating power and issuing warnings to Taiwan and its allies. Despite Taiwan’s unwavering resilience in the face of such provocations, the situation remains fraught with tension.

Fortunately, the global community has taken note of China’s aggressive stance towards Taiwan. U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, last week, publicly emphasised that Taiwan’s National Day address was a routine activity and that China should not use the event as a pretext for engaging in any provocative actions.

Reacting to the aggression, the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office expressed serious concern over China’s joint military drill, issuing a statement reaffirming the United Kingdom’s interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which it said was of critical importance to global prosperity.

On its part, the European Union through the European External Action Service (EEAS) in a statement reaffirmed staunch support for Cross Strait peace and stability, pointing out European Union’s interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

Also reacting to the Chinese aggression, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pointed out that peace and security in and around the Taiwan Strait were an extremely important issue to the region. The government of Australia has also stated that it is paying close attention to the Taiwan Strait situation, calling on China to show restraint, while underscoring the importance of cross-strait peace and stability.

In all these, Taiwanese citizens take pride in their democratic way of life and are resolute in defending it. We possess a strong identity and refuse to yield to Chinese coercion or intimidation. It is imperative for the international community to unite in solidarity with the 23 million peace and freedom-loving people of Taiwan in forging closer connections and interactions.

Andy Yih-Ping Liu is Representative and Chief of Taiwan Mission in Nigeria.