TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — During a visit to the United States against the background of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for the status quo in the Taiwan Strait to be maintained, reports said Friday (April 1).

He told a discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. that military force or other non-peaceful means could not be allowed to change Taiwan’s situation, The Liberty Times reported.

Lee emphasized Ukraine and Taiwan were two different cases, as Europe had the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and clear “red lines” which could not be crossed. East Asia had no such alliance, but was the site of confrontation hotspots, he said.

Taiwan’s status could in no way be changed by military or other non-peaceful means, as the issue not only involved the economy and strategy, but also politics and the feelings of the people, Lee said. The issue could only be resolved after a long period, according to the Singaporean leader.

He remarked the Russian invasion of Ukraine had touched upon several issues important to China, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the principle of non-interference, turning the war into a tricky question for Beijing.