TAIPEI: France condemned Chinese aggression in Taiwan Strait as Beijing wants to change the status quo in the region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a recent interview with Nikkei, said France “condemns any attempt to undermine the status quo, any action likely to cause an incident that would lead to an escalation,” reported Taiwan News.
The French Foreign Minister said that the stability of the strait is key to the stability of the Indo-Pacific and mentioned that France has military bases located in its Pacific territories, including New Caledonia.
Although he did not specifically mention China, he expressed concern over aggressive actions in the region, reported Taiwan News. Le Drian said France is “very keen” to prevent a strait conflict.
In February 2021, the French Navy sent its nuclear submarine Emeraude and the support ship Seine to the South China Sea, and in October, it dispatched the signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lome through the strait, reported Taiwan News.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which have been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
Moreover, Taiwan has been extremely concerned about the situation in Hong Kong since Beijing passed the National Security Law in 2020. Hong Kong’s vanishing democracy, freedom, and human rights prove that “one country, two systems” is a lie.
The PRC (People’s Republic of China) is combining its economic, diplomatic, military and technological might as it pursues a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and seeks to become the world’s most influential power. (ANI)
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