April 10, 2023
In response to the announcement by China’s People’s Liberation Army that it would conduct military drills in areas around Taiwan from April 8 to 10, the United States Department of State stated that the United States has consistently urged China to exercise restraint and to not change the status quo. It also stressed that the United States has ample resources and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure peace and stability and to honor its security commitments. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) thanks the government of the United States for proactively speaking up at this critical time to solemnly demand that China act reasonably, show self-restraint, stop coercing the Taiwanese people, and end its attempts to change the status quo.
MOFA reiterates that the head of state of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) exercises a basic right of a sovereign nation when traveling to other countries to engage in diplomatic activities, and that China has no right to intervene. By using this as a pretext to take provocative actions, China is clearly challenging the international order and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region. This contravenes a basic principle of the United Nations Charter that disputes should be settled peacefully. MOFA condemns China’s actions in the strongest possible terms.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will not escalate conflict nor instigate disputes. It will staunchly safeguard its sovereignty and national security and stand firm in defense of democracy and freedom. Taiwan will also continue to maintain close communications and coordination with the United States and other like-minded countries to jointly deter authoritarian expansion and aggression, preserve the rules-based international order, and defend a free and open Indo-Pacific.