Tensions in the Taiwan Strait heightened soon with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. China has been increasing its military activities and even crossed the median line.
Video screenshot shows warplane aerial refueling as the air force and naval aviation corps of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) fly warplanes to conduct operations around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 4, 2022. The Eastern Theater Command on Thursday conducted joint combat exercises and training around the Taiwan Island on an unprecedented scale. (Xinhua/IANS)
The United States, Australia and Japan on Saturday condemned China’s launch of ballistic missiles and urged China to immediately cease the military exercises.
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait heightened soon with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. China has been increasing its military activities and even crossed the median line. Multiple Chinese planes and ships were detected around Taiwan Strait today, simulating an attack on its main island.
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The Taiwan Defence Ministry said that its armed forces responded to such a situation accordingly with surveillance systems, CAP aircraft, naval vessels and missile systems.
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On Friday, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said that 68 Chinese military planes and 13 warships crossed over the median line to participate in drills.
“US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met in Phnom Penh on the margins of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,” the US State Department said in a statement.
The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers of the three nations expressed their commitment to deepening the trilateral partnership among Australia, Japan, and the United States to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“They condemned the PRC’s launch of ballistic missiles, five of which the Japanese government reported landed in its exclusive economic zones, raising tension and destabilizing the region. The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers urged the PRC to immediately cease the military exercises,” the State Department said.
The US Secretary and the Foreign Ministers also highlighted this partnership rests on the unshakable foundation of shared interests and values, including a commitment to freedom, rule of law, human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes.
They reaffirmed their resolve in supporting ASEAN centrality, and the importance of the Pacific Islands Countries as partners in the region.
They reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They appreciated ASEAN’s statement about the importance of deescalating tension in the Taiwan Strait.
The three sides share the region’s desire for diplomacy to avoid the risks of miscalculation. The US Secretary and the Foreign Ministers expressed their concern about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent actions that gravely affect international peace and stability, including the use of large-scale military exercises.
They also stressed that there is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of Australia, Japan, or the United States.
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