The United States has called on Beijing to exercise restraint over the Chinese army’s military exercise near Taiwan. The Washington government is closely monitoring China’s actions, a US State Department spokesman said yesterday. “We have always called for restraint and not to change the status quo.” The communication channels with Beijing remained open.
At the same time, the ministry spokesman said that the US “has sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and stability and to fulfill our national security obligations”.
China sees ‘warning’ on ‘separatist forces’
The Chinese army described the three-day military exercise near Taiwan as a “warning” to “separatist forces”. According to Chinese state media, the encirclement of Taiwan will also be practiced. Taipei condemned the maneuver and accused Beijing of endangering regional security.
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, it saw a total of nine warships and 71 military aircraft in the area around the island. The exercise comes a few days after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States, who met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday.
Tsai accused Beijing of “authoritarian expansionism”. She clarified that Taiwan “will continue to work with the United States and other countries (…) to defend the values of freedom and democracy.”
