Taiwan Strait crossings have ‘destroyed’ tacit agreement on median line
- Taiwanese defence minister says Taipei would react if Beijing crossed its ‘red line’ but does not specify unofficial air and sea barrier
- PLA forces have since August been routinely crossing the line through the strait, which has never been officially recognised by Beijing
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Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip
Mainland forces mounted large-scale drills – including firing missiles over Taipei – in August to show Beijing’s anger over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
PLA military activities near Taiwan have continued since then, though at a much reduced level, and its aircraft are routinely crossing the median line, which for years acted as an unofficial barrier between the mainland and the self-ruled island.
The Taiwan Strait is some 180km (110 miles) wide and at its narrowest, the median line – devised by a US general in 1954 at the height of Cold War hostilities – is about 40km (25 miles) from the island’s coast.
Beijing has never officially recognised the line, although the PLA largely respected it. In 2020, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the median line “did not exist” as mainland forces have a right to operate around the island, which Beijing regards as part of its territory.
Some Taiwanese officials and security analysts have said it would be difficult for the island to defend the median line without raising the risk of dangerous escalation.
PLA drones crossed median line, Taiwan confirms for first time
“The median line was supposed to be a tacit agreement for everyone. That tacit agreement has been destroyed,” Chiu told the parliamentary committee. The PLA’s crossings of the median line indicated a new way of doing things, which Taiwan would resist, he added.
“They want to build a new normal but we do not change … We will stand firm when they come. We do not give in.”
Speaking to reporters earlier on Wednesday, Chiu said extending compulsory military service beyond four months was a matter of “urgency”, but the ministry was still in talks with other government agencies to work out details.
