FILE PHOTO: Shiyu or Lion Islet, which is part of Kinmen County, one of Taiwan's offshore islands, is pictured with China's Xiamen in the background, in Kinmen
Taiwan urges China not to change 'status quo' around waters near Kinmen islands
Reuters: Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Friday urged China not to change the "status quo" around waters near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas.
"The current situation across the Strait should be controllable," the council's deputy head and spokesperson Jan Jyh-horng told a press conference.
Beijing last month began regular coast guard patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast, after two Chinese fishermen died trying to flee Taiwan's coast guard.
China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the island's strong objections. It has in recent years increased military activities near Taiwan, including almost-daily incursions into the island's air defence identification zones.
China said this week it would boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan.
In World
-
Pyongyang went loud and proud on Monday about its plans for nuclear weapons as the United Nations grilled its representative over a recent missile launch.
-
Russia on Tuesday denounced Moldova's weekend election as unfair and said it did not see the winner, Maia Sandu, as the legitimate president of the country.
-
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday he had discussed with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock the "need for decisive action" in response to North Korean involvement in the war with Russia.
-
South Korea and the European Union on Monday jointly condemned North Korea's supply of weaponry to Moscow and demanded that it withdraw troops it has sent as Russia wages war against Ukraine.
Leave a review