MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to statements by US White House and Department of State concerning China’s military exercises around Taiwan

Date：2025-04-02
Data Source：Department of North American Affairs

April 2, 2025The United States Department of State released a statement on April 1 in which it pointed out that China was once again escalating tensions through aggressive military activities and rhetoric targeting Taiwan, and thereby jeopardizing regional security and global prosperity. The statement added that in the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the long-standing US commitment to Taiwan and other allies and partners remained unchanged. It also reiterated US support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposition to the use of force or coercion to unilaterally alter the status quo.Moreover, in responding to media questions on April 1, the White House press secretary said that US President Donald Trump emphasized the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, encouraged peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, and reiterated US opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion.Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung thanks the White House and State Department for reiterating US support of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and its opposition to the use of force or coercion to change the status quo; for clearly pointing out China’s threat to Taiwan and regional security; and for noting that China’s behavior undermines the status quo. With China frequently conducting military activities and gray-zone harassment around Taiwan, the international community understands clearly that China is the troublemaker in the Taiwan Strait and globally and that it is China that is attempting to challenge the status quo. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with the United States and other allied nations to jointly ensure peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and across the Taiwan Strait, safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and defend the rules-based international order. Taiwan also calls on all countries to jointly monitor China’s gray-zone coercion of Taiwan—including military intimidation and lawfare—as well as its actions that unilaterally escalate regional tensions.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to statement by European External Action Service Spokesperson on China’s April 1 large-scale military drills surrounding Taiwan

Date：2025-04-02
Data Source：Department of European Affairs

April 2, 2025On April 1, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS) released a statement regarding China’s large-scale military drills targeting Taiwan. The statement pointed out that the drills are increasing cross-strait tensions and reiterated that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity. The European Union (EU) has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral actions that change the status quo by force or coercion. The EU calls on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions, which should be resolved through cross-strait dialogue.This is the third time the EEAS has expressed timely concern over China’s unilateral actions increasing cross-strait tensions. The previous two times were responses to China’s Joint Sword military exercises last year. The White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 released this March by the European Union points out that China has been rapidly expanding its military capabilities and intensifying its political, economic, military, and cyber and cognitive measures to coerce Taiwan. It emphasizes that the shifting Taiwan status quo could have profound economic and strategic consequences for Europe. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung affirms and welcomes the EU’s continued demonstration of staunch support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait through concrete action. MOFA also stresses that Taiwan, as a key country in the Indo-Pacific region and a responsible member of the international community, will continue to strengthen cooperation with the EU and other allies to safeguard freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific region, uphold the rules-based international order, and together protect regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity. 

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA strongly condemns China for unilateral provocations and repeated attempts to escalate cross-strait and regional tensions

Date：2025-04-01
Data Source：Department of Policy Planning

April 1, 2025
No. 086

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command launched joint military drills around Taiwan on April 1, under the pretext of serving as “a stern warning to and powerful deterrent against separatist forces agitating for Taiwan independence.” This marked a renewed challenge to the rules-based international order and a serious unilateral attempt to jeopardize peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly denounces China and urges it to immediately halt unwarranted military provocations.
 
China has recently conducted military intimidation and maritime gray-zone operations near New Zealand and Australia, in the South China Sea, and near the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Its relentless actions aimed at challenging the international order and undermining the regional status quo demonstrate incontrovertibly that China is a destabilizing force in the region and beyond.
 
Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is a matter of international consensus and serves the interests of all parties. However, China intractably continues to conduct military drills to intimidate Taiwan and neighboring countries, unilaterally seeking to alter the cross-strait and regional status quo. Such actions seriously undermine peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific and do not serve to improve its international image. MOFA calls on China to stop such behavior and return to norms. 
 
As a responsible member of the global community, Taiwan will work in concert with like-minded nations to jointly safeguard global and regional peace, stability, prosperity, and development. (E)

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to false claims regarding Taiwan in joint statement between PRC and Bangladesh

Date：2025-03-31
Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

March 31, 2025Chief Adviser of the interim government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing from March 27 to 29. The two sides issued a joint statement on March 28 that made spurious claims in referring to the so-called “one China principle” and to Taiwan being an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) solemnly refutes these claims. MOFA reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent and sovereign country; that neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other; and that no claim seeking to distort Taiwan’s sovereign status can alter the internationally recognized status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The government of Taiwan will staunchly safeguard national sovereignty and dignity and work with friendly and like-minded countries to protect the values of freedom and democracy and ensure regional peace, stability, and development. MOFA calls on Bangladesh to adopt an open and pragmatic stance; strengthen economic and trade cooperation and substantive relations across all domains with Taiwan; and proactively contribute to democracy, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA response to reaffirmation of importance of cross-strait peace at meeting of US, Japan defense ministers

Date：2025-03-31
Data Source：TAIWAN-JAPAN RELATIONS ASSOCIATION

March 31, 2025 

Japan’s Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani met with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on March 30 in Tokyo. During the meeting, they expressed concern over China’s military activities around Taiwan and reiterated opposition to China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China Seas. Underscoring the importance of maintaining cross-strait peace and stability, the two sides stressed that they would bolster cooperation with regional partners Australia, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific. 
 
This was the first meeting of the defense chiefs of the United States and Japan since Secretary Hegseth took office. Coming on the heels of the February Japan-US summit, the meeting saw the two countries reiterate the importance they attached to cross-strait issues, highlighting the high degree of consensus in the global democratic camp for cross-strait peace. It was also further evidence that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to the promotion of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung affirms and welcomes the continued expression of staunch support for cross-strait peace and stability by Japan and the United States at important international venues, as well as the two sides’ concern for China’s challenge to the global order. Minister Lin also stresses that Taiwan will abide by the spirit of integrated diplomacy and continue to cooperate closely with like-minded countries to uphold democracy and universal values, develop democratic non-red supply chains, and promote peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Two Country Parks Hiking & Planting Day events will be held in April and May.

Jointly organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department and Friends of the Country Parks, the events will take place on April 27 at Pak Sha Wan Peninsula, Ma On Shan Country Park and May 4 at Wong Nai Tun Irrigation Reservoir, Tai Lam Country Park.

People can enrol at the designated registration point on-site from 9am to 10.30am on the event day. Pre-registration is not required.

Seedlings and planting tools will be provided.

Click here for details.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today cautioned the public not to be taken in by a video circulating online which falsely presents the Financial Secretary promoting a so-called “Government Investment Platform”.

Stressing that the video appears to be artificially generated, the Government said that the information contained in it is entirely fictitious and intended to deceive, and warned people not to fall for it. 

The case has been referred to the Police Force for investigation.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Land Registry logged 6,661 sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in March, up 54.7% compared with February and up 32.9% year-on-year.

The total consideration for such agreements in March rose 61.4% from the previous month to $45.6 billion, representing a 22.1% year-on-year growth.

Of the agreements, 5,367 were for residential units, amounting to a 67.7% increase from February and a 35.2% rise from a year ago.

The total consideration for residential units was $38.8 billion, up 68.7% compared with February and 29.1% higher year-on-year.

There were 393,010 land register searches last month.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

March was drier and milder than usual, with the monthly mean relative humidity at 74%, which was 8% below the norm and the fourth lowest on record for March, the Hong Kong Observatory said today.

The monthly total sunshine duration amounted to 143.8 hours, about 44% above the norm of 100 hours.

With more sunshine, the monthly mean maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius was 1.6 degrees above the norm and the 10th highest on record for March. The monthly mean temperature of 20.1 degrees and monthly mean minimum temperature of 17.7 degrees were 0.6 degrees and 0.1 degrees above their corresponding norm.

Rainfall in the month was 38.1mm, about 51% of the norm. The accumulated rainfall in the first three months of the year was 68.4mm, which was about 54% below the norm for the same period.

There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in March, the observatory added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee announced today that, upon his nomination and recommendation, and in accordance with the Basic Law, the Central People’s Government has approved the appointment of Joe Chow as Commissioner of Police, and the removal of Siu Chak-yee from the post.

Mr Chow was previously Deputy Commissioner of Police. Mr Siu begins pre-retirement leave after serving the Police Force for 36 years.

Commenting on the appointment, the Chief Executive said: “Mr Chow has served in the Police Force for almost 30 years and has extensive experience in criminal investigation, intelligence gathering, policy-making as well as personnel management. He has a distinguished performance and possesses proven leadership skills.

“I am confident that he will capably lead the Police Force in meeting the challenges ahead.”

On the retirement of Mr Siu, who had been Commissioner of Police since June 2021, Mr Lee lauded his efforts in maintaining Hong Kong’s status as one of the safest cities in the world.

“He has demonstrated unswerving dedication and determination to safeguarding Hong Kong and upholding the rule of law in dealing with the social unrest.”

Mr Lee added that as Commissioner of Police Mr Siu was devoted to introducing strong and effective measures to combat deception cases and other criminal activities.

“Under his eminent leadership, the Police Force has continued to excel as a world-class professional law enforcement agency.

“On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I convey my heartfelt appreciation to Mr Siu for his contribution to Hong Kong and wish him a happy retirement.”