Anthony Blinken. Photo: Reuters
On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned China against any provocative actions against Taiwan after Beijing threatened the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s National Day speech. This was reported by AFP.
“China should not use this speech as an excuse for provocative actions. On the contrary, we, like many other countries, seek to reinforce the imperative of preserving the status quo and emphasise that no party should take measures that could disrupt it,” Blinken said at a press conference in Laos after the ASEAN summit.
He also stressed that maintaining peace, stability and the status quo is crucial to avoid any conflict that could undermine key aspects of the global economy.
Taiwanese President Lai Tsingde vowed on Thursday to oppose the annexation of the island, which China considers part of its territory that should be returned to its control.
In recent years, Beijing has increased military and political pressure on Taiwan and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to control the island. Over the past two years, China has conducted three major military exercises near Taiwan, and sends warships and fighter jets to patrol the island almost daily.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence reported that 27 Chinese military aircraft and nine Chinese Navy ships were spotted near the island within 24 hours of Wednesday.
This week, Beijing accused Lai Tsingde of “inciting hatred”, calling him a “separatist”, after he said that Taiwan cannot consider China its “mother country”.
Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated sharply since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen became president of Taiwan, holding the post until May this year.
