Beijing hits back at ‘extremely hypocritical’ critics of PLA drills around Taiwan
Japan, Australia, Britain and the EU express concern about live-fire and blockade exercises around island
The foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Japan, Australia and European governments had turned “a deaf ear” to the efforts of “Taiwan independence” forces using military means, while ignoring external interference in Beijing’s internal affairs.
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People’s Liberation Army holds second day of live-fire exercises around Taiwan
In a statement released on Wednesday, Australia said the exercises were “deeply concerning, destabilising and [risked] inflaming regional tensions”.
Canberra was strongly opposed to “any actions that increase the risk of accident, miscalculation or escalation” and opposed “any unilateral action to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait”, the statement said.
Both Britain and the European Union cautioned on Tuesday that the military exercise would increase the risk of escalation, and called for restraint.
The Japanese government also expressed concern over the drills, with Tokyo conveying to Beijing on Monday that it expected issues concerning Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue, according to Kyodo, which cited “a source familiar with the development”.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian called statements by foreign governments “irresponsible remarks about China’s necessary actions to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.