Taiwan said it detected 24 Chinese military aircraft near the island on Sunday as a Canadian warship passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

It was the first Canadian naval vessel to transit the waterway this year, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said, and came days after two U.S. ships made the passage.

The United States and its allies regularly pass through the 180-km Taiwan Strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering China.

Beijing has never ruled Taiwan, but it claims the democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to bring it under its control by force.

“The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the Taiwan Strait on February 16,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Canada has once again taken concrete action to uphold the Taiwan Strait’s freedom, peace and openness, demonstrating its firm stance that the strait is international waters,” it added.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that 24 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, were detected carrying “joint combat readiness patrols” with military vessels around the island.

During the Canadian warship’s passage, China’s military radioed the ship and warned it to change course, Taiwanese media reported.

A US destroyer and an ocean survey ship travelled through the strait starting on February 10, drawing criticism from China’s military, which said it sent the “wrong signal and increased security risks”.

Data published by the Taiwan defence ministry showed 62 Chinese military aircraft were detected near the island in the 48 hours to 6:00 am local time on Wednesday, coinciding with the US ships’ transit.

Washington’s latest passage through the Taiwan Strait was the first time since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

It came after Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said they “opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo (in the Taiwan Strait) by force or coercion”.

The navy vessels, along with 34 Chinese aircraft, were spotted near Taiwan. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Taiwan said Thursday (December 12, 2024) that it detected 16 Chinese warships in waters around the island, one of the highest numbers this year, as Beijing intensifies military pressure on Taipei.

The navy vessels, along with 34 Chinese aircraft, were spotted near Taiwan in the 24 hours to 6:00 am (2200 GMT) Thursday (December 12), according to the Defence Ministry’s daily tally.

Beijing has been holding its biggest maritime drills in years from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea, Taiwan authorities said this week.

Around 90 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels have been involved in the exercises that include simulating attacks on foreign ships and practising blockading sea routes, a Taiwan security official said Wednesday.

There has been no announcement by Beijing’s army or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea or Western Pacific Ocean.

However, a recent Pacific tour by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te that included two stops in U.S. territory drew fury from Beijing, which claims the democratic island as part of China’s territory.

The security official said that China began planning the massive maritime operation in October and aimed to demonstrate it could choke off Taiwan and draw a “red line” ahead of the next U.S. administration.

The sea drills were “significantly larger” than Beijing’s maritime response to then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in 2022, the security official said. Those war games were China’s largest-ever around Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that China’s increased military activity around the island was evidence that Beijing was a “troublemaker”.

But China’s Foreign Ministry — whose spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied that drills were taking place — directed blame at Taiwan.

The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said Thursday it was monitoring “with concern” Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activity near the island and in the region.

While Beijing had not announced major drills in response to Lai’s trip, Chinese military activity was “elevated”, which was “consistent with levels we have seen during other large exercises,” a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan said.

Airspace back to ‘normal’

James Char, an expert on China’s military at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said Beijing’s silence “serves as a way of demonstrating that the Taiwan Strait as well as the waters and airspace around the island falls under Chinese sovereignty — hence unnecessary to announce (the drills) to the world”.

“This is another means by the mainland to force its position upon others,” Char told AFP, though he did not rule out Chinese confirmation at a later date.

Taiwan said Monday that the PLA had reserved airspace off the Chinese coast until Wednesday.

Vietnam-based maritime security analyst Duan Dang told AFP Thursday that aviation data showed the airspace zones had “fully returned to normal”.

Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.

Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around the island in recent years and also opposes any international recognition of self-ruled Taiwan — especially when it comes to official contact between Taipei and Washington.

Lai spoke last week with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to his two recent stopovers on U.S. soil.

The Defence Ministry’s tally of Chinese warships on Thursday was the highest since May 25, when 27 navy vessels were detected during Chinese military drills held days after Lai’s inauguration.

Self-ruled Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own territory — also called on “all like-minded countries to closely monitor China’s actions”. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry on Saturday (August 31, 2024) accused China of an “arbitrary intervention” after a joint declaration by Pacific leaders was altered to remove mentions of Taiwan.

“Taiwan issued the strongest condemnation on China’s arbitrary intervention and unreasonable actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Self-ruled Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own territory — also called on “all like-minded countries to closely monitor China’s actions” to safeguard “the harmony and stable development of Pacific island countries”.

The rebuff came after a statement by Pacific leaders was reissued with mentions of Taiwan removed after China had slammed an earlier version as a “mistake” that “must be corrected”.

After five days of talks in Tonga, a “cleared” communique was released on Friday that reaffirmed a 30-year-old agreement allowing Taiwan to take part in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

But the wording immediately raised the ire of Chinese diplomats, who piled pressure on Pacific leaders to amend the document.

The forum reissued the communique without explanation on Saturday morning, conspicuously deleting the paragraph concerning the regional bloc’s “relations with Taiwan”.

Neither PIF nor Chinese officials replied to requests for comment on Saturday.

China’s special envoy to the Pacific islands, Qian Bo, had told reporters on Friday that the mention of Taiwan was “a surprising mistake made by someone”, before insisting “it must be corrected”.

Qian earlier said he had contacted the bloc’s secretariat in the hope of clarifying the situation.

The original paragraph — titled “Relations with Taiwan/Republic of China” — said leaders had “reaffirmed” the 1992 decision that paved the way for Taiwan’s participation in the forum.

Beijing has aggressively sought to exclude Taiwan, a self-governing island of more than 23 million people, from international bodies and rejects its autonomy.

The ‘Pacific Way’

The South Pacific was once seen as a bastion of support for Taiwan’s claim to statehood, but China has methodically whittled this down.

In the past five years, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all been persuaded to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Beijing insists its diplomatic allies withdraw recognition of the self-ruled island.

Palau, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei but face constant pressure to change.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had contacted its three Pacific allies “to actively communicate with the PIF Secretariat” in a bid to retain the clause.

“But the final decision by member states was to use the spirit of diversity and inclusion of the ‘Pacific Way’ as a compromise of the opinions of all parties, and publish a joint communique with consensus,” a Taiwanese spokesperson added.

“This communique did not undermine our country’s status in the Pacific Islands Forum or exclude our rights to participate in the PIF in the future.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked our allies and like-minded countries for their support for our continued participation in PIF.”

Solomon Islands, China’s main partner in the South Pacific, has lobbied for Taiwan to be stripped of its “development partner” status with the PIF.

US territories Guam and American Samoa were elevated to associate members of the forum, against the wishes of Solomon Islands.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry confirmed to AFP that there had not been a consensus on the paragraph about Taiwan.

“There are a range of views among the 18 Pacific Islands Forum members and part of the ‘Pacific Way’ is respect for different views and the importance of consensus,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, said in his inauguration speech Monday that he wants peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats and intimidation of the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

“I hope that China will face the reality of (Taiwan)’s existence, respect the choices of the people of Taiwan, and in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation,” Lai said after being sworn into office.

Lai pledged to “neither yield nor provoke” Beijing and said he sought peace in relations with China. But he emphasized the island democracy is determined to defend itself “in the face of the many threats and attempts at infiltration from China.”

Lai’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, doesn’t seek independence from China but maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation.

The Chinese office in charge of Taiwan affairs criticized Lai’s inauguration speech as promoting “the fallacy of separatism,” inciting confrontation and relying on foreign forces to seek independence.

“We will never tolerate or condone any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” said Chen Binhua, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council.

“No matter how the situation on the island changes, no matter who is in power, it cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China … and cannot stop the historical trend of the motherland’s eventual reunification,” Chen said.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Monday also announced sanctions against Boeing and two other defense companies for arms sales to Taiwan.

Lai, 64, takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, who led Taiwan through eight years of economic and social development despite the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s escalating military threats. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and has been upping its threats to annex it by force if necessary.

Lai is seen as inheriting Tsai’s progressive policies, including universal health care, backing for higher education and support for minority groups, including making Taiwan the first place in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.

In his inauguration speech, Lai pledged to bolster Taiwan’s social safety net and help the island advance in fields such as artificial intelligence and green energy.

Lai, who was vice president during Tsai’s second term, came across as more of a firebrand earlier in his career. In 2017, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan’s independence,” drawing Beijing’s rebuke. He has since softened his stance and now supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and the possibility of talks with Beijing.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei for the inauguration ceremony. Donning white celebratory hats, they watched the swearing-in on large screens, followed by a military march and colorful performances featuring folk dancers, opera performers and rappers. Military helicopters flew in formation, carrying Taiwan’s flag.

Lai accepted congratulations from fellow politicians and delegations from the 12 nations that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as politicians from the U.S., Japan and various European states.

Lai, also known by his English name William, has vowed to continue his predecessor’s push to maintain stability with China while beefing up Taiwan’s security through imports of military equipment from close partner the U.S., the expansion of the defense industry with the manufacture of submarines and aircraft, and the reinforcing of regional partnerships with unofficial allies such as the U.S., Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken congratulated Lai on his inauguration. “We look forward to working with President Lai and across Taiwan’s political spectrum to advance our shared interests and values, deepen our longstanding unofficial relationship, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Blinken said in a statement from his office.

The U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Japan’s government spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said it continues to expect a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue through dialogue.

“The peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is important not only for the security of Japan but the stability of all of the international community,” Hayashi said Monday.

Lai’s relatively conciliatory tone will come across as reassuring to foreign governments that may have been concerned about his past reputation as a firebrand, said Danny Russell, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

“There is virtually nothing that Lai could have said, short of ‘unconditional surrender,’ that would satisfy Beijing,” he said.

Although Lai signaled he would maintain the overall direction of Tsai’s policy regarding Beijing, he struck a more sovereignty-affirming tone in his speech, said Amanda Hsiao, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

“This likely fits within Beijing’s low expectations of Lai, so it won’t necessarily change their response,” Hsiao said. “China was always going to respond negatively to Lai.”

During her tenure, Tsai oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended the military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernization drive.

Tsai’s leadership during the pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan’s initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticizing the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.

Taipei:

Taiwan on Thursday condemned China as “shameless” after Beijing’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations thanked the world for its concern about a strong earthquake on the island.

China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and also claims the right to speak for it on the international stage, to the fury of Taipei given Beijing’s communist government has never ruled the island and has no say in how it chooses its leaders.

On Wednesday, after the 7.2 earthquake hit eastern Taiwan, killing 10 people, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N., Geng Shuang, mentioned at a meeting about children’s rights that another speaker had brought up the quake in “China’s Taiwan”.

China is concerned about the damage and has expressed condolences to Taiwan and offered aid, he said, according to a transcript of his remarks carried on the Chinese mission to the U.N.’s website.

“We thank the international community for its expressions of sympathy and concern,” he added.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed anger at the remarks.

The ministry “solemnly condemns China’s shameless use of the Taiwan earthquake to conduct cognitive operations internationally”, it said, using Taiwan’s normal term for what it views as Chinese psychological warfare.

This shows China has no goodwill towards Taiwan, the ministry added.

Taiwan’s government has already thanked governments and leaders around the world for their messages of concern and offers of support, including from the United States, the island’s most important international supporter despite the lack of diplomatic ties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)