The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday condemned China’s latest military drill around Taiwan, and said Beijing had launched the drill in an attempt to sabotage Taiwan-US relations.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the drill was in response to the US Department of State’s recent changes to the Taiwan-US relations fact sheet on its Web site, urging the US not to damage the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The US Department of State on Feb. 12 updated the Taiwan section of its Web site, dropping the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence," added a reference to Taiwan’s cooperation with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project and says the US would support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations "where applicable."
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei said the updated fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations reiterated the US’ continuous attention to the importance of cross-strait peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and its opposition to any unilateral changes to the "status quo."
China used the Web site issue as an excuse for the drill, while Beijing is the one that is destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait with its military action around Taiwan, the ministry added.
Taiwan will continue to be a responsible member of international society and work to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, it added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense said a total of 42 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait yesterday.
The planes entered the sensitive zones of north, central, southwest and east of Taiwan and conducted air-sea joint training with other People’s Liberation Army (PLA) naval vessel. The activity was the highest since a record of 111 flights on Oct. 15 last year, according to Bloomberg calculations.
In other developments, the military yesterday commenced a five-day combat-readiness exercise involving all three its branches.
The exercise is unscripted and simulates real combat scenarios, which would better prepare units for a possible invasion, the ministry said.
According to Sixth Army Corps Commander Lieutenant General Chen Wen-hsing (陳文星), the exercise aims to simulate real combat situations and test troops’ response to unexpected incidents.
The goal is to ensure the armed forces would be able to mobilize for warfare immediately, he added.
Additional reporting Bloomberg
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