La—the self-governed island that China claims as part of its territory—is a capricious constant: it rises and falls without a clear pattern, but keeps all parties involved always on alert. The United Kingdom, Germany and France jointly expressed concern on Wednesday about China’s recent “special maritime law enforcement operations” in waters east of Taiwan, and stressed that this behavior threatens regional stability.
The three European countries are observing “with concern” what they call “new Chinese activity in the waters east of Taiwan,” as they say in a rare statement. “These actions threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and the security of international maritime transport,” adds the letter issued by the British Office in Taipei, the German Institute in Taipei and the French Office in Taipei. These are the offices that represent the interests of these three countries in Taiwan, in the absence of official diplomatic relations with Taipei (London, Paris and Berlin, like the vast majority of States, and informal relations with Taipei).
“We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change of the the state in whichespecially through threats, the use of force or coercion. It is essential that all navigation rights and freedoms are guaranteed and respected, as well as the safety of seafarers and ships,” says the statement, collected by the Taiwanese agency CNA.
Although the text does not expressly say so, Taiwanese media interpret those words as a response to a specific episode: the rounds of maritime patrols by coast guard vessels launched by the Chinese Government in recent weeks in areas east of Taiwan, around islands controlled by Taipei in the South China Sea, and in which they even intercepted merchant ships passing through the area, as Taiwan has denounced.
The storm began after Japan and the Philippines announced in late May that they were starting talks on the delimitation of the maritime border of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between the two countries in the area, which overlaps with areas claimed by China.
Beijing, which considers Taiwan an inalienable part of its territory, has flatly rejected the initiative of Tokyo and Manila and the “indifference” of Taipei. “They have circumvented China and unilaterally initiated the so-called maritime delimitation negotiations, which seriously violates international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as the basic norms of international relations, and seriously infringes China’s maritime rights and interests,” said Zhang Han, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, in an appearance this Wednesday.
Zhang added that the “police patrols” launched by Beijing, “in accordance with the law, are fully justified and necessary to safeguard the national sovereignty” of the People’s Republic. He has also criticized the Taiwanese government for taking advantage of the occasion “to strongly promote Taiwan” and for its complicity with “external forces.” “A vile, shameless act for which they must be held accountable,” he concluded.
The new dispute is heating up as Taiwan holds a round of “immediate combat readiness” military exercises across the territory this week, designed to ensure troops are prepared to respond quickly should China escalate its activities into a full-scale military attack, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.
Adding to the turmoil in these always troubled waters was the passage of the aircraft carrier on Tuesday. Fujianthe most advanced in China, through the Taiwan Strait. The warship already transited through this area in December. Another Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoningsailed in April through this hot spot of geopolitics, a key step in global maritime trade that ships from the United States Navy and other allies of Washington also usually sail.
