TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday thanked the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China for its condemnation of China’s recent military maneuvers surrounding Taiwan.

The April 1-2 exercises featured live-fire drills and an appearance by the aircraft carrier Shandong. In a statement Friday, the alliance described the Chinese drills as “escalatory, provocative, and without justification.”

The statement also condemned personal threats of violence against President Lai Ching-te (賴清德). The status quo should not be eroded, threatening Taiwan’s security and the security of the global economy, according to the alliance.

The group also called on governments to step in and impose meaningful sanctions on China, accompanied by defense cooperation to prevent further escalation. The statement was signed by 43 legislators from 25 countries that included the European Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said he welcomed concrete action on behalf of Taiwan, and called on democracies to take a common stance against China’s military threats. The ministry said Taiwan would continue to stand with the international community to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific.