Taiwan imbroglio
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self governing democracy of Taiwan as its own territory despite never having controlled it, and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self governing democracy of Taiwan as its own territory despite never having controlled it, and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday slammed US arms sales to Taiwan and strongly condemned its attempt to weaponise the region.
The United States approved a USD 385 million arms sale to Taiwan on Friday, continuing its efforts to strengthen military relations with the island nation, a move that has raised concerns in China, Al Jazeera reported.
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.
Taiwan has sought to join hands with India and other partners to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, and strengthen the global supply chain in line with the rules-based international order.
China began three days of military exercises around the island on Saturday, the day after President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei from Los Angeles.
According to China, the drills will commence on Saturday, April 8. The drill, according to the statement, was "planned".
It now transpires that Reina wrote to Taiwan on 13 March demanding a total of $2.45 billion in aid, including the construction of a hospital and a dam, and to write off debt. Reina justified the demand of $2.45 billion by saying it was not ‘not a donation‘, but rather ‘a negotiated refinancing mechanism‘. It may be noted that Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the region, with almost 74 per cent of its nearly 10 million people living in poverty
The Shandong carrier immediately drew attention off the East Coast when Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned home after meeting the US House Speaker.
In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called Tsai's visit to US "transit" and said that it "gravely violated" the one-China principle.
