Taiwan Says China's Threats Will Not Be Accepted By International Community

China’s “long-term” goal is to “undermine the international order,” but such actions “will not be recognized by the international community,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said today, following a Chinese naval deployment.

In a statement, the ministry said the threat posed by China has been evolving since 2022, when Beijing held its first large-scale exercises around the island following a visit by then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

According to the statement, China has shifted from deterring Taiwan to challenging the first Pacific island chain, a strategic concept that generally refers to the line running from the Russian Kuril archipelago through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines to Singapore.

“This large-scale concentration of naval surface forces is concrete proof of this,” the ministry said, referring to the recent deployment of several Chinese navy and coast guard vessels near Taiwan and in different parts of the Western Pacific, an operation about which Beijing did not provide details.

The island’s military has adjusted its “response strategies” in line with the “evolving dynamics” of such threats, conducting “realistic and situation-appropriate” combat exercises.

“By enhancing military readiness and continuously improving its combat capabilities, the military can align itself with like-minded countries to deter war,” the statement said.

The ministry also released a video of Chinese military activities, showing how Taiwan’s military closely monitored the movements of China’s frigates and destroyers while also deploying fighter jets and air defense systems.

Taiwan’s Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Mei Chia-shu, announced on Thursday the closure of the emergency response center the ministry set up earlier in the week to respond to China’s naval deployment, suggesting that Beijing’s maneuvers have now ended.

After days of total silence, the Chinese military declared today that it will "never withdraw" from the "fight against Taiwan's independence, regardless of whether or not they conduct military exercises", since its mission is to "protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "safeguard the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation".

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which it considers its province. The island has been self-governing since the Chinese Nationalists withdrew to the island in 1949, after losing the war against the communist army.