The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) recent China Coast Guard patrol operations in waters east of Taiwan have drawn international attention. According to Reuters, on June 24, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany issued a rare joint statement warning that China’s latest activities threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.
The three countries reaffirmed their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Meanwhile, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said China’s activities escalate tensions and undermine regional stability, Reuters reported.
China’s Ministry of Transport recently organized a “special maritime traffic law enforcement operation” in waters east of Taiwan along with the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration, Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration, the East China Sea Navigation Support Center, and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau.
According to Reuters, the British Office Taipei, the French Office in Taipei, and the German Institute Taipei issued a rare joint statement saying:
“We have noted with concern novel Chinese activity in the waters east of Taiwan. 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. It is fundamental that all navigational rights and freedoms and the safety of seafarers and vessels are guaranteed and respected.”
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The United Kingdom, France, and Germany do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, like many Western countries, they have repeatedly expressed concern over Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan, while Taiwan’s government continues to reject Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the island.
Beijing regards democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory. In early June, China dispatched China Coast Guard vessels to waters off Taiwan’s east coast to carry out what it called a “special maritime traffic law enforcement operation,” a move that angered Taiwan.
Taiwanese authorities responded that the waters off Taiwan’s east coast are not Chinese waters, and that Beijing has no jurisdiction or authority to claim over them.
China, meanwhile, said the operation was conducted in response to Japan and the Philippines’ announcement that they would begin formal talks on maritime boundary issues. Beijing argued that the discussions involved Chinese waters near Taiwan, and it also dispatched an oceanographic survey vessel to the same area.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry: Peace in the Taiwan Strait is a shared international interest
In response to the joint expression of concern by the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that evening saying that Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung sincerely welcomed and appreciated the three countries’ position, according to Radio Taiwan International (RTI).
The ministry also specifically acknowledged the United States’ steadfast support for Taiwan’s security, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and the international maritime order.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that the United Kingdom, France, and Germany had reaffirmed the spirit of this year’s G7 Leaders’ Summit statement on geopolitical issues. By issuing their joint statement, the three countries once again demonstrated through concrete action their support for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and for upholding the rules-based international order.
The ministry said this “fully reflects that preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and its surrounding waters has become a shared interest of the international community.”
MOFA added that China’s actions, which undermine regional peace, stability, and the international order, have drawn serious concern from the international community. It reiterated that the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another, and that, under international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Taiwan enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters surrounding the island.
According to the ministry, China has no legal authority to take enforcement actions against any vessel exercising freedom of navigation within Taiwan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The ministry further stated that China’s practice of “using law enforcement as a pretext while seeking to expand its jurisdiction” lacks any basis in international law and has seriously affected regional security, freedom of navigation, and the international maritime order.
Taiwan has repeatedly condemned China’s attempts to pressure Taiwan through hybrid threats and other coercive means, arguing that such actions further undermine regional peace and stability.
MOFA called on Beijing to cease escalating threats against Taiwan and the broader region, as well as to stop any unilateral actions that alter the status quo or undermine the international maritime order.
The ministry also said Taiwan will continue working closely with the United States and other like-minded partners to safeguard freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as other lawful uses of the seas, in order to preserve regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
AIT: China’s actions escalate tensions and undermine stability
Responding to an inquiry from Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) on the afternoon of June 24, a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said the United States is concerned by reports that China Coast Guard and maritime law enforcement vessels have harassed Taiwanese commercial ships in waters east of Taiwan while asserting Chinese jurisdiction over those waters.
The spokesperson stressed that the United States rejects any Chinese claims that interfere with freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, the freedom to lay submarine cables, or any other lawful uses of the sea.
The AIT spokesperson further emphasized that China’s actions are destabilizing. According to the statement, Beijing’s attempt to exercise administrative control over waters that Taiwan has managed peacefully for more than 70 years will only heighten tensions and undermine the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues that China itself claims to seek.
The United States also urged Beijing to end its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Taiwan and to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected government.
