Taiwan’s defense ministry said “we are not seeking any escalation, but we are not backing down when it comes to our security and sovereignty.”
Chinese military exercises around Taiwan have begun, according to Chinese state media, as the Guardian newspaper writes. At noon local time, state broadcaster CCTV reported: “Six important areas around the island have been designated by the Chinese military, and during this period all ships and aircraft should not enter the relevant sea areas and the airspace”.
The six identified zones surround the island, while some are located near key ports. Taiwan’s defense ministry said its armed forces were monitoring the environment. “We do not seek any escalation, but we do not back down when it comes to our security and sovereignty,” the ministry said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi claims Beijing has made its “greatest diplomatic efforts” but will “never allow its core interests to be harmed” as the senior official meets his regional counterparts in Cambodia today. Wang Yi also called the US actions “irresponsible and extremely unreasonable”.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted: “Taiwan is committed to defending the status quo and our hard-won democracy. We will work with like-minded partners to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) called for “maximum restraint” in the Taiwan Strait, warning that the situation could lead to “serious confrontation, open conflict and unforeseen consequences between major powers”.
The Association’s diplomatic chiefs in the joint statement they released said that “ASEAN is concerned about international and regional instability, especially the recent developments in the region (…) which may lead to miscalculations, serious conflict, open conflicts with unforeseeable consequences for the great powers”.
Cambodia, the country that currently holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN, called on all parties to opt for a de-escalation of tensions. “ASEAN calls for maximum restraint, refraining from provocative actions,” the statement said, without mentioning the US or China by name.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his US counterpart Anthony Blinken are both visiting Cambodia for talks with ASEAN ministers. However, they are reportedly not planning to get together.
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