Taiwan President Lai Ching-te stated that mainland China has recently been ramping up military pressure, which is by no means the act of a responsible major power. He reiterated that Taiwan will not escalate conflict nor provoke disputes. At this moment, the unity of military and civilians, and not being misled by false information, is the strongest force in protecting our democratic homeland.
The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army announced military drills surrounding Taiwan on the 29th. On the same day, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the mainland remarked that the drills are aimed at “Taiwan independence separatist activities” and “external interference”; they are not targeted at the people of Taiwan, stressing that “compatriots on both sides of the Strait are one family.”
On the morning of the 30th, Lai Ching-te posted on Facebook, stating that maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific is a shared expectation of the international community, and also a steadfast commitment of Taiwan as a member of the region. However, the mainland’s recent frequent escalation of military pressure is not the behavior expected from a responsible major country.
Lai Ching-te expressed special thanks to all Coast Guard and military sisters and brothers, who, with high professionalism and sense of mission, calmly respond to various threats on the frontlines of maritime and air defense. “Because of your day-and-night guardianship, our people can go about their lives as usual and move forward with peace of mind.”
On the afternoon of the 29th, spokesperson Chen Binhua of the Taiwan Affairs Office claimed that the PLA’s military actions are “a stern warning to Taiwan independence separatist forces and external interference forces,” and are “a necessary and just action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Chen Binhua stated, “The ‘DPP authorities’ are colluding with external forces to seek independence and provoke, engaging in military adventurism,” which “seriously undermines cross-strait relations, severely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and gravely damages the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and the vital interests of ‘Taiwan compatriots’.” For any separatist acts of Taiwan independence, “we will never tolerate or condone them, and will strike them hard.”
Chen Binhua also stated, “Compatriots on both sides of the Strait are one family.” “The relevant military actions are targeted at Taiwan independence separatist activities and external interference, aiming to curb collusion between Taiwan independence and external forces to create chaos in the Taiwan Strait,” and are “fundamentally to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, to protect the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and the vital interests of Taiwan compatriots, and by no means are they aimed at the general populace of Taiwan.”