Taiwan’s government voiced appreciation Wednesday after the United States, Britain, France, and Germany sounded the alarm over Chinese Coast Guard activities taking place off the island’s eastern shores, with Taipei emphasizing that open sea lanes are critical to commerce around the world.
Earlier this month, China dispatched Coast Guard vessels into the waters east of Taiwan, describing the deployment as a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation.” The move drew sharp criticism from Taiwan’s government. China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan to be part of its own territory, has also been sending maritime survey ships into the same area.
Beijing said its coast guard operation was triggered by an announcement from Japan and the Philippines that they planned to begin formal discussions about their shared maritime boundaries — talks that China viewed as encroaching on waters it claims near Taiwan.
Joseph Wu, who serves as secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, took to social media platform X late Wednesday to express his appreciation. He said he was “truly thankful” for the statements issued by the four Western nations.
“A rules-based int’l order, the StatusQuo, & regional peace & stability are what we all care about. The PRC should stop its maritime expansionism,” Wu wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China.
China’s foreign ministry had not yet responded to the statements made by the Western governments. Beijing does not recognize any Taiwanese claims to sovereignty and considers both the island and the surrounding waters to be Chinese territory.
Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, the government body that oversees the island’s coast guard operations, released a separate statement declaring that safe and open navigation through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters is essential to global trade.
“China’s maritime harassment of Taiwan, and the political pressure that follows, not only violate international law but also harm the shared interests of the international community. They must be promptly contained and collectively rejected,” the council stated.
The council added that Taiwan would continue standing alongside its allies and would “responsibly and jointly defend the international order in surrounding waters through lawful, appropriate, and firm measures.”
Kuan Bi-ling, the minister who heads the Ocean Affairs Council, posted on her Facebook page that China has been “certified” as a disruptor of regional stability. “The more China harasses Taiwan, the more the international community supports Taiwan!” she wrote.
Last week, Kuan hosted the de facto British ambassador to Taiwan, Ruth Bradley-Jones, aboard Taiwan’s Yunlin coast guard vessel while it was docked at port.
Taiwan maintains that China holds no legitimate claim of sovereignty or jurisdiction over the island or the waters around it.
