Great Britain, France, and Germany issued an unusual joint statement Wednesday expressing serious concern about Chinese activities in waters east of Taiwan, where China had recently deployed coast guard patrols.
The de-facto embassies representing the three European countries in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, described the actions as “novel Chinese activity” — without specifying exactly what those activities involved — and warned that they posed a threat to stability across the region.
China considers Taiwan its own territory, claiming the democratically governed island is a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its control. Chinese authorities described the recent operations as a “maritime traffic enforcement and hydrographic survey operation.”
Chinese state media characterized the activities as “sending a pointed warning” to Japan and the Philippines, following an announcement that those two countries intended to discuss their shared maritime boundaries in waters that China also claims.
On Tuesday, China sent its newest and most powerful aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait — the stretch of water that separates mainland China from Taiwan — just hours after Taiwan kicked off a five-day military exercise designed to test the island’s readiness in the event of a Chinese attack.
The joint European statement was direct in its criticism: “These actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping. We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion.”
The three nations’ offices also called on all parties to respect navigational rights, freedoms, and the safety of those at sea. China’s Foreign Ministry had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
In recent years, China has steadily increased its pressure on Taiwan, sending military ships and aircraft near the island on an almost daily basis and periodically staging live-fire military drills.
Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have also grown since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that Japan’s military could become involved if China takes aggressive action against Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the current military exercises are intended to improve combat readiness and test how quickly military units can be deployed — particularly in response to a sudden escalation of what is known as Chinese grey-zone warfare.
Grey-zone tactics include a broad range of aggressive but non-combat actions, such as navy ship patrols and drone flights, that stop short of open warfare.
Earlier this month, Taiwan reported that Chinese coast guard vessels had been stopping commercial ships near Taiwan and demanding that those vessels disclose their planned routes.
