News
Presidential Office urges restraint
Courtesy of ICRT
The Presidential Office is urging China to cease what it's describing as "proactive behaviour" after President Lai Ching-te's first overseas trip.
China stepped up its military activity around the island this week. It designated seven areas off the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces as "temporary reserved areas" of airspace from Monday through yesterday while the Ministry of National Defense has said Chinese Navy and Coast Guard vessels formed two "walls" east of Taiwan.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Guo said Lai's recently concluded trip to diplomatic allies was a common practice and Beijing's actions threaten regional security and stability and destabilizes global peace. The Presidential Office is also seeking to assure the public here that the defense ministry is closely monitoring the situation and is working to safeguard national security. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called on China to cease acting irrationally and carrying out military actions near Taiwan.
According to the foreign ministry, Chinese authorities need to immediately stop their military intimidation as well as any actions against Taiwan, or other countries that clearly violate the United Nations Charter - which stipulates that no country may use force or threats to infringe on the territorial sovereignty of another country.
In related news, questions are looming over next week's Taipei-Shanghai Forum, amid an uptick in Chinese military activity near Taiwan this week. Premier Cho Jung-tai has urged the Taipei City Government to carefully consider whether the forum should proceed, citing concerns over potential tensions and varied public reactions to recent cross-strait exchanges.
Cho condemned the recent Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas, describing them as a threat to regional peace and stability. He noted that these exercises have drawn international concern, with incursions reported near Japan and the Philippines.
Local news reports suggest that relevant authorities may cancel the 17 December event due to the military exercises, though this decision is currently still under review.
