UK, France, Germany Warn About Chinese Actions in Taiwan

The UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement on June 24, warning that the Chinese regime’s activities off the east coast of Taiwan are a threat to regional stability and freedom of navigation.

Earlier this month, China sent coast guard ships into the waters east of the island for a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation.”

The British Office in Taipei—which acts as a de facto embassy—issued a joint statement with French and German equivalents in the Taiwanese capital, in which they said, “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,” the statement said.

“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.”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has never ruled Taiwan, considers the self-ruled island to be a renegade province and has never ruled out the possibility of using force to seize it.

The Chinese regime does not recognize any separate ‌Taiwanese sovereignty, and in recent years has frequently sent military jets and ships close to the island on an almost daily basis.

China said the coast guard operation was in response to statements from Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries.

Taiwan’s coast ​guard said Beijing has no jurisdiction in its waters and said it would “forcefully” drive away Chinese ships to maintain “freedom and safety of navigation.”

Taiwan Asserts ‘Maritime Sovereignty’

“Our nation’s maritime sovereignty cannot be violated,” Taiwan’s coast ​guard said in a statement. “Any ⁠country that asserts jurisdiction will be expelled without exception.”

Beijing has also been sending maritime survey ships into ‌the waters east of Taiwan.

Several Western countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have a “One China” policy in which they acknowledge China’s claim over Taiwan without necessarily endorsing it.

U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Taiwan with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at their summit in Beijing last month.

Xi’s spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on May 14 that the Chinese leader told Trump that Taiwan was the most important issue in China–U.S. relations, and that if it was handled properly, the bilateral relationship would remain stable. But if not, the two countries could face “clashes and even conflicts.”

In a May 23 post on X, Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said that Taipei’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance showed China had deployed more than 100 vessels “around the 1st Island Chain” in the previous few days.

The First Island Chain is a series of islands and archipelagos stretching from Yakushima, south of Japan, through Taiwan to the Philippines.

Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), which was the legitimate government in mainland China until its defeat by the communist forces of Mao Zedong in 1949.

After Chiang Kai-shek withdrew to Taiwan, several Western governments broke off relations with the ROC and switched to the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The UK did so in 1950, France in 1964, and West Germany in 1972, a position that was reiterated after Germany became unified in 1990.

In December 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter broke off official relations with Taiwan and switched to recognizing Beijing.

The U.S. maintains a “robust, unofficial relationship” with the Taiwanese government, according to the U.S. State Department.

Reuters contributed to this report.