The United States, Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted Coast Guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sent Coast Guard ships earlier in June into the waters off the island’s east coast for what it called a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation,” angering Taipei.
China said the operation was in response to an announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, which Beijing viewed as involving Chinese waters off Taiwan.
China has also been sending maritime survey ships into the same waters.
“China’s actions are deeply destabilizing,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said regarding reports that Chinese Coast Guard vessels were harassing commercial ships.
“We reject any assertion by China of authority to interfere with freedoms of navigation or overflight, the freedom to lay cables, or other lawful uses of the sea,” the U.S. official said, adding that Beijing was undermining the peaceful resolution of issues that it claims to seek.
The de facto British, French and German embassies in Taipei
