Key facts
- Britain, France, and Germany issued a joint statement expressing concern over Chinese activities east of Taiwan.
- These activities include coast guard patrols and maritime survey operations.
- The European nations stated that these actions threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.
- China views Taiwan as its own territory and recently conducted a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" off Taiwan's east coast.
- Taiwan's defense minister previously stated that the warning time for a Chinese attack is shortening, necessitating readiness drills.
Britain, France, and Germany have jointly expressed alarm over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, including coast guard patrols and maritime survey operations. In a rare joint statement, the de facto embassies of the three European nations in Taipei said these actions threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation. They reiterated their opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, recently conducted a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" in these waters, which it stated was in response to Japan and the Philippines discussing their maritime boundaries. This development follows Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo's statement that the warning time for a Chinese attack is shortening, necessitating immediate combat readiness drills. Taiwan's military is currently holding five days of drills designed to test its ability to respond rapidly to a sudden attack. China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson criticized these drills as demonstrating the ruling party's intent to seek independence by force, while reaffirming Beijing's commitment to peaceful reunification but not ruling out the use of force. The Fujian, China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier, recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait.