TAIWAN, OCT 14
Taiwan on Monday strongly condemned China for launching large-scale military drills around the island nation and appealed to all nations to take note of Beijing’s ”authoritarian and expansionist” behaviour.
In a statement, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Taiwan noted that ”China on October 14 launched its so-called Joint Sword-2024B military drill around Taiwan, once again challenging the rules-based international order and gravely undermining regional peace and stability.”
Taiwan asked Chinato pull back and immediately cease its military provocations. The statement said that in his National Day address, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te once again expressed goodwill to China and called for it to act responsibly and work with Taiwan to maintain the prevailing state of peace, stability, and prosperity.
“However, China remains determined to intimidate the people of Taiwan through military exercises and is attempting to threaten Taiwan’s democracy and unilaterally disrupt the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region,” it added.
Taiwan denounced China and urged it to neither use false pretexts aimed at justifying disagreement and strife nor become a trouble-maker that undermines regional peace and stability.
Taiwan also called on nations around the world to recognise China’s authoritarian and expansionist nature, take concrete actions to support democratic Taiwan at this critical moment, unite in defending the values of freedom and democracy, and safeguard the rules-based international order, as well as the freedom, openness, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.
