Taipei on August 9 said China's decision to carry out military exercises in areas surrounding Taiwan is a gross violation of its rights under international law.
This comes after China fired a barrage of ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan as it launched large-scale military exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu in a statement said China's action has hindered the normal operations of one of the busiest air and shipping routes in the Indo-Pacific region.
"This has had a serious impact on international transportation and trade, and undermined regional peace and security. Taiwan thus strongly condemns China’s extremely irresponsible behavior," Wu said.
The statement said, "China’s targeted, large-scale military exercises are a serious provocation. China has used Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a pretext, but is pursuing its true intentions in a number of ways."
The statement added, "China has also taken specific actions to break the long-standing tacit agreement on the median line of the Taiwan Strait. And after the drills conclude, China may try to routinize its action in an attempt to wreck the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait."
Talking about the range of its missile tests, the statement said, "China is clearly trying to deter other countries from interfering in its attempt to invade Taiwan. Its rehearsal of anti-access and area-denial tactics gives us a clear image of China’s geostrategic ambitions beyond Taiwan."
Taiwan said it has the right to maintain relationships with other countries and to participate in and contribute to the international community. “The people of Taiwan also have the right to express their collective will through the democratic system. China has no right to interfere in or alter this," it said.
