TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Thursday (May 23) condemned the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) exercises around Taiwan and its outer islands for “escalating regional tensions."

At 9 a.m., the MND said the PLA's Eastern Theater Command announced that it would conduct the “Joint Sword-2024A” exercise in the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan. When asked to comment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) released a statement to Taiwan News at 1 p.m.

Liu said peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait have “become the consensus in the international community.” Taiwan is committed to maintaining the status quo across the strait and calls on China to “return to rational self-restraint and stop unilaterally undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and to cease activities that escalate regional tensions," said Liu.

The ministry reiterated that Taiwan will continue to uphold its belief in democracy and will not change due to coercion and suppression. “Taiwan is the bastion of the world’s democratic and free systems,” said Liu.

Liu pledged that in the future, Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperative relationships with like-minded partners to ensure the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.