Taiwan urges China to not undermine its "status quo"
Oct 19, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], October 20 : Taiwan urged China not to undermine its "status quo" by threatening or suppressing it by the use of the military, Taipei Times reported
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), in a press statement, again asked China to recognise the Taiwan's existence and respect its independence.
MOFA also thanked its allies for addressing China's provocations and showing concern for Taiwan in recent weeks.
"Do not attempt to use military provocations or other methods to threaten or suppress Taiwan and undermine the regional status quo," the ministry said, urging China to resolve their differences through dialogue, Taipei Times reported.
"Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in the common interest of both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the international society," the ministry said.
"MOFA sincerely thanks our allies, the US, the UK, France, Germany, New Zealand, Lithuania, South Korea and more than 30 countries' governments or parliament members, as well as the EU, for publicly expressing their concerns about China once again conducting military drills to intimidate our nation," the ministry added.
Recently, Taiwan has reported Chinese military activities near its territory. On October 19 Ministry of National Defence (MND) has said that 10 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels were detected. In response to Chinese military activity, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor People's Liberation Army (PLA) activity.
In a post on X, Taiwan's MND stated, "10 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification by force if necessary.