President William Lai (賴清德) convened a high-level national security meeting today instructing the armed forces and other government agencies to handle military drills China announced it had launched around Taiwan from this morning.
The nation's armed forces are "fully monitoring" the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) drills, and the Executive Yuan is also paying attention to other issues concerning social stability, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said.
Photo from William Lai's Facebook
In a statement, Kuo reiterated Taipei's emphasis on "the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region," which she said was also the "broad consensus among the international community."
"China should face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and respect the Taiwanese people's choice of a democratic and free way of life," she said. "It should cease military provocations that undermine regional peace and stability, and stop threatening Taiwan's democracy and freedom."
"China should understand the goodwill expressed by the president on National Day and address its own domestic economic and livelihood issues, rather than persisting in using military force to coerce neighboring countries," she added.
"In the face of external threats, our government will continue to defend the free and democratic constitutional system, with full confidence and capability to safeguard national security," Kuo was quoted as saying.
National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told reporters in Taipei that the drill is "inconsistent" with international protocols that live-fire exercises on the open seas should be announced in advance.
China's drill, code-named "Joint Sword-2024B," also violates the "fundamental spirit" of the UN Charter that stipulates that the peaceful settlement of disputes is a mandatory obligation for member states, Wu said.
"The president has convened a high-level meeting on national security in response to the threat from China's military and has issued clear instructions," Wu told reporters.
Government agencies are also preparing for any potential Chinese actions that could affect Taiwan's society and economy, Wu added.
In Washington, the US Department of State said it was concerned by China's "unwarranted" and potentially escalatory military drills around Taiwan.
"The United States is seriously concerned by the PLA joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
"The PRC [People's Republic of China] response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation," Miller said.
The PLA's drill announcement earlier this morning only said it would begin the exercises the same day, but did not say how long the drills would last, Wu told reporters, adding that the government is "watching closely" to see whether they will be expanded or extended.
China's announcement of a military drill came four days after Lai gave his Double Ten National Day address on Thursday last week, in which he said China has "no right to represent Taiwan" and reiterated that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate" to each other.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) criticized Lai for using various means to "sell the fallacy of 'Taiwan independence,'" and accused him of revealing "his pernicious intention to escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait for political gain."
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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