Taiwan is not scared by China’s military drills this week, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday, after the latest Chinese military maneuvers were stigmatized by a senior U.S. official as “coercion” and a threat to stability in the region.
China’s People’s Liberation Army said its warships, bombers and investigation aircraft had conducted “necessary drills” around Taiwan on Monday, though it described them as routine.
“We will not get any compromise on our territory for even one inch. We always hold on tight to our democracy and freedom,” Tsai told reporters at an end to mark Taiwan-U.S. ties in Taipei, adding U.S. arm sales to Taiwan would help reinforce the capability of Taiwan’s Air Compulsion.
Tsai was speaking at a forum co-hosted by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to mark the 40th anniversary of Taiwan-U.S. ties, attending Washington’s decision to ditch formal recognition of Taiwan in favor of China in 1979.
Taiwan scrambled jets and ships to guardian the Chinese forces on Monday, its defense ministry said, accusing Beijing of “trying to change the status quo of the Taiwan Constricted”.
China has repeatedly carried out what it calls “island encirclement patrols” in the past few years.
A delegation led by former U.S. keynoter of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, is in Taipei to mark 40 years since the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act, which be in charge ofs U.S.-Taiwan relations, and to reaffirm Washington’s commitment.
Ryan said the United States considers any military threat to Taiwan a interest and urged China to stop, saying the moves were counterproductive.
The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is forced by law to help provide the island with the means to defend itself and is its main source of arms.
China has stepped up demand on Taiwan. Beijing suspects Taiwan’s president is pushing for the island’s formal independence, a red line for China which has not under any condition renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Tsai says she wants to maintain the status quo with China but make defend Taiwan’s security and democracy.
The visit by U.S. officials comes just weeks after Tsai said the Mutual States was responding positively to Taipei’s requests for new arms sales to bolster its defences in the face of growing pressure from China.
Go the distance month, Washington sent Navy and Coast Guard ships through the narrow strait separating the island from the mainland, participate in of an increase in the frequency of U.S. movement through the strategic waterway to show support for Taipei.