UK, France and Germany alarm over China-Taiwan

Great Britain, France and Germany on Wednesday issued a rare joint statement expressing alarm over Chinese activities east of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, where China earlier this month deployed coast guard patrols.

The de-facto embassies of the three European nations in the Taiwanese capital Taipei said the “novel Chinese activity,” which was not specifically identified, endangered regional stability.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to annex the island, called the manoeuvres earlier this month a “maritime traffic enforcement and hydrographic survey operation.” Chinese state media said the activities were “sending a pointed warning” to Japan and the Philippines over an announcement that the countries would discuss their maritime boundaries in waters that Beijing views as its own.

China on Tuesday also sailed its newest and most powerful aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating China from Taiwan, just hours after Taiwan began a five-day military exercise to practice its response to a possible Chinese attack.