Taiwan says it will seek help to stop Beijing’s military expansion
- Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says real motive behind PLA exercises stretches ‘far beyond Taiwan’
- It is critical that ‘freedom-loving nations’ work together to respond to ‘expansion of authoritarianism’, he says
“Although China seems to be targeting Taiwan now, its activities around the world have shown that its motivation is far beyond Taiwan,” he said in a news conference in Taipei.
Huge PLA drills around Taiwan seen as warning to US and allies
Second in line for the US presidency, Pelosi became the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Her whirlwind visit enraged Beijing, which sees the island as part of its territory and the trip as a major violation of its sovereignty.
Wu said that by using Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to stage war games, Beijing was “determined to link the East and South China seas through the Taiwan Strait so the entire area becomes its internal waters”.
“And its intentions are not likely to stop there, as the PLA has crossed the first island chain multiple times to conduct military exercises in recent years,” he said.
01:59
China’s proposed security deal with Pacific islands falls short as Wang Yi tours region
He said that Beijing’s influence also extended into Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa and Latin America, and its behaviour towards Taiwan was “merely a pretext”.
“Its ambitions and impact are extending far beyond Taiwan. It is thus critical that all freedom-loving nations work together to explore means to respond to the expansion of authoritarianism,” he said.
Wu said Beijing’s decision to carry out military exercises in areas surrounding Taiwan was a gross violation of Taiwan’s rights under international law, particularly in the way it designated zones for its exercises.
Live-fire drills around Taiwan provide insight into PLA capabilities
Wu said the exercises had hindered the normal operations of one of the busiest air and shipping routes in the Indo-Pacific region, affecting international transport and trade and undermining regional peace and security. He added that Taiwan strongly condemned Beijing’s “extremely irresponsible behaviour”.
He said Beijing had used Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan to pursue its true intentions, which included openly declaring ownership over the Taiwan Strait to influence the international community’s freedom of navigation in the strait’s waters and airspace.
“China has also taken specific actions to break the long-standing tacit agreement on the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said, adding that after the drills concluded, Beijing was likely to make these actions routine.
07:07
Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip
He said Beijing had used the drills in its military playbook to prepare to attack Taiwan. “It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation and economic coercion in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” he said.
He said Beijing was trying to deter other countries from interfering in its attempt to attack Taiwan, and its rehearsal of anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) tactics provided a “clear image of China’s geostrategic ambitions beyond Taiwan”.
Wu said Beijing’s real intention behind the military exercises was to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the region, which has “already brought significantly unstable elements into the mix, threatening regional security”.
He said Taiwan had the right to maintain relations with other countries and to take part in international affairs.
