TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Presidential Office on Wednesday condemned China’s military activities around Taiwan in recent days.
The drills “are a blatant disruption of the current security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said. She called on Beijing to immediately cease all provocative actions.
A senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters on Monday that the PLA deployed nearly 90 navy and coast guard ships near Taiwan and Japan’s southern islands in the East and South China Sea. This is the largest fleet in years amassed by China, according to the defense ministry.
Kuo said that it is routine for Taiwan’s president to travel abroad and the nation’s exchanges with other countries are not an excuse for China to lash out. The spokesperson added that Taiwan’s military is monitoring the situation in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring national security.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) returned from a tour of Taiwan’s South Pacific allies last week, which included layovers in Hawaii and Guam. During a press conference, Lai said China should “choose to open its hands rather than clench its fists.”
He added, “No amount of military exercises, warships, or aircraft used to intimidate neighboring countries can win the respect of any country.”