Latest news with #TaiwanGovernment
Free Malaysia Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
China condemns British warship's ‘troublemaking' Taiwan Strait transit
The British Royal Navy said the HMS Spey conducted a routine navigation that complied with international law. (US Navy/AFP pic) BEIJING : China's military on Friday condemned the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to 'cause trouble', saying it undermined peace and stability in the region. Britain's Royal Navy said the patrol vessel HMS Spey conducted a routine navigation through the narrow waterway that was part of a long-planned deployment and took place in full compliance with international law. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, considers the strait to be Chinese waters. Taiwan, the United States and many of its allies say it is an international waterway. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army said the Wednesday sailing of the ship was 'public hyping' and that its forces followed and monitored the Spey. 'The British side's remarks distort legal principles and mislead the public; its actions deliberately cause trouble and disrupt things, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,' it said in a statement. 'Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations.' Taiwan's government welcomed the sailing. 'The foreign ministry welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters,' the ministry said in a statement. The last time a British warship sailed through the strait was in 2021, when HMS Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. The Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it away. The latest passage comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to mend their relations, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing later this year – the first trip to the country by a British leader since 2018. US Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by allied nations.
Bloomberg
29-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Taiwan Says ‘Constructive Progress' Made in US Trade Talks
Taiwan said it's made 'constructive progress' in a second round of trade talks with the US, which are aimed at avoiding tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. 'It is believed that constructive progress has been made in the negotiations so far,' said an official Taiwanese statement on Sunday. The talks were held in recent days in Washington, it said.
Reuters
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
China's military vows to boost combat readiness after Taiwan president speeches
BEIJING, June 26 (Reuters) - The People's Liberation Army "shows zero tolerance to Taiwan independence separatist activities", a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson said on Thursday when asked about recent speeches made by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te. The PLA will enhance combat readiness to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told a regular press conference. "The Lai authorities keep pushing Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war; they are the cause of harming the livelihood of the Taiwanese people," Zhang said, adding that Lai's comments showed his "ill intentions". Lai on Sunday began a series of 10 speeches on "uniting the country", saying that democratically-ruled Taiwan was "of course a country" and that China had no legal or historical right to claim it. Beijing and Taipei have clashed over their competing interpretations of history in an escalating war of words over what Beijing views as provocations from Taiwan's government, saying it was impossible to "invade" what was already Chinese land. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control and has a particular dislike for Lai, describing him as a "separatist". Taiwan strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says it is up to the island's people to decide their future. Tensions between China and Taiwan, including several rounds of Chinese war games, have grown over the last five years and now include daily air and naval deployments near the island. The last Chinese war games in April and October were widely seen by regional military attaches as a test of a possible blockade of Taiwan. The U.S. and its regional allies are watching closely, with some officials saying that China's deployments and its military modernisation have raised the possibility Beijing may one day make good on its threats to take Taiwan by force.
Japan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
China says Taiwan president spreading 'heresy' with sovereignty speech
China on Monday accused Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of "heresy," hostility and provocation, after a speech in which he said the island is "of course" a country and there is historical evidence and legal proof to back this up. Beijing says democratically governed Taiwan is "sacred" Chinese territory that has belonged to China since ancient times, and that the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Lai and his government strongly reject that view, and have offered talks with China multiple times but have been rejected. China calls Lai a separatist.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
China and Britain clash after UK warship patrols disputed waters
China 's military has sharply criticised the passage of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait, labelling it a deliberate attempt to "cause trouble", as Taiwan's president ordered heightened surveillance in response to Beijing's military activities. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army condemned the HMS Spey's Wednesday sailing as "public hyping", stating that its forces closely followed and monitored the patrol vessel. Beijing asserts that the narrow waterway, which separates mainland China from Taiwan, constitutes Chinese waters. In contrast, Britain's Royal Navy maintained that the HMS Spey's transit was a "routine navigation" conducted as part of a "long-planned deployment" and "in full compliance with international law". This stance aligns with Taiwan, the United States, and many of their allies, who contend that the strait is an international waterway. China, however, views Taiwan as its own territory, further complicating the legal and political status of the strait. "The British side's remarks distort legal principles and mislead the public; its actions deliberately cause trouble and disrupt things, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," it said in a statement. "Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations." Taiwan's government welcomed the sailing. "The foreign ministry welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters," the ministry said in a statement. China has over the past five years stepped up its drills around Taiwan, including staging war games that have alarmed Taipei, Washington and Tokyo. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Thursday ordered defence and security units to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said have not abated even as tensions rise in the Middle East. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike in Chinese movements close to the island over the previous 24 hours, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea. The last time a British warship sailed through the strait was in 2021, when HMS Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it away. The latest passage comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to mend their relations, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing later this year - the first trip to the country by a British leader since 2018. U.S. Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by allied nations.
