(OTTAWA) Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly called for calm on Wednesday in the face of escalating tensions between the United States, Taiwan and China, while blaming Beijing for the current standoff.
Posted at 5:45 p.m.
Alongside her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, at a press conference in Montreal, Ms.me Joly said the Canadian government was “very concerned about China’s threatening action and economic coercion.”
The comments followed Beijing’s announcement of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan starting Thursday, in response to the visit to the self-governing island by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. . China claims the island of Taiwan as part of its national territory.
Minister Joly’s comments also come as two Canadian warships prepare to depart for the Asia-Pacific region in the coming days for an already planned deployment, as part of Canada’s participation in an exercise large-scale US-led military near Hawaii.
Mme Joly told reporters on Wednesday that visits such as that of Mme Pelosi were part of normal diplomacy and “cannot be used as a pretext for heightened tensions” or for aggressive action.
“So, in this sense, we call on China to de-escalate, because we believe there may be risks not only of escalating tensions, but also of destabilizing the region,” she said.
German Minister Baerbock echoed Ms.me Joly to a calm and peaceful dialogue in the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China from the island.
The two women added their voices to other foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries, which include Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, in posting later a statement warning China against “aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait”.
“We urge China not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-Strait disputes through peaceful means,” the statement read.
The G7 ministers added that there was no change in their country’s respective “one China” policies, which provide that there is only one Chinese government, which does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, and which therefore does not involve official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
“We reiterate our shared and unwavering commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and we encourage all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, act with transparency and maintain open lines of communication to avoid any misunderstanding. »
Military exercises in the region
As Canada and its G7 partners sought Wednesday to avert an armed confrontation between China and Taiwan, thousands of American, Canadian and allied military personnel were wrapping up a month-long training exercise in the Pacific.
This exercise, called “RIMPAC”, involved the frigates Vancouver and Winnipeg, which, according to Canadian Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson, will sail west in the coming days, towards the Asia-Pacific region, once the exercise officially ended on Thursday.
“One will be in the northern part of Asia, the other will be in the southern part, and they will meet in the middle,” Robinson, who served as the exercise’s second-in-command, said in an interview. It was really the last step to prepare them for this long deployment. »
Rear Admiral Robinson did not say whether any of the Canadian ships, which will remain in the region until December, will transit the Taiwan Strait. He did, however, confirm that they will operate with allied forces in the area.
As for the “RIMPAC” exercise, which takes place every two years, Mr. Robinson said that it involved a whole range of scenarios, such as responding to a humanitarian crisis or combating a generalized conflict.
Although the exercise did not identify any specific adversary, Robinson said: “We are very aware of the capabilities that exist. Various countries have all kinds of advanced capabilities.”
In a brief speech in Taipei before leaving Taiwan on Wednesday, Mr.me Pelosi defended her controversial visit, saying she and other US congressmen in her delegation had shown they would not let go of their commitment to the self-governing island.
The first Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit the island in more than 25 years, Ms.me Pelosi stoked Beijing’s anger with his visit and triggered more than a week of debate in his country and around the world on the advisability of this visit to Taiwan, after the leak in the media.
China’s response has been vocal and manifested on several fronts: diplomatic, economic and military. Shortly after landing Mme Pelosi on Tuesday evening, China announced live-fire drills that would have started that night, as well as four-day drills starting Thursday.
The planned Chinese exercises, including live fire, are set to be the largest targeting Taiwan since 1995, when China fired missiles in a large-scale exercise to show its displeasure during a visit to the United States from then Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
Taiwan has denounced this week’s drills, parts of which are to take place in its territorial waters, saying they violated the island’s sovereignty.
On Wednesday, China also banned some imports from Taiwan, including citrus fruits and fish.