Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang on Sunday, August 7, slammed China stating that the mainland has arrogantly used the military drills to dismantle regional peace and stability. Su urged that China must refrain from belligerent military activities around the island nation and not let down the morale of the Taiwanese citizens by launching disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks. Taiwanese official’s remark came just a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying accused the “US and its sidekicks” of “moving the world closer to war.”
Hua held Washington responsible for heightened tensions in the region, saying that the military escalation was caused entirely by US Speaker Pelosi, who made a visit to Taiwan despite mainland China’s warnings. Hua stated that Taiwan’s so-called allies undermined PRC’s sovereignty and security.
“As of 11am, Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang says China has “arrogantly” used military actions to disrupt regional peace and stability” Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.
PLA declares multiple no-go danger zones around Taiwan
Infuriated at high profile US official visit to the island, Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s PLA fighter jets crossed the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait in an act of defiance, which the island’s government slammed as a provocation. Taiwan urged its “evil neighbour” to diffuse tensions as PLA fired multiple missiles into its sovereign waters. At least four missiles flew over the island’s capital Taipei as Beijing held long-range live-fire exercises in a retaliatory response to Pelosi’s tour.
People’s Liberation Army also declared multiple no-go danger zones around Taiwan, according to CNA. This raised fears that the busiest shipping lanes in the world within 20km of the island’s shores might face supply chain disruptions. As the foreign ministers of the G7 nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, US and the EU raised concerns about the “threatening actions” by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation.
China, in a fiery reaction, labelled G7’s joint statement as “ugly” and “shameless,” as Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense called China’s military activities “irrational, provocative” and derided its “intention of changing the status quo and undermining regional peace and stability”. China warned that it will “punish” those who offended its territorial integrity and has declared the US speaker’s trip an “opening salvo of war”.