Josep Borrell, who arrived in Cambodia last night for the ministerial meeting between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), warned on Twitter that “there is no justification for using a visit as a pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait.”
Referring to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, Borrell added that “it is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally,” said the head of European diplomacy, who encouraged the parties involved in the conflict to “remain calm, maintain control and act with transparency.” The Chinese military today began its military maneuvers with live fire around Taiwan, which have caused “a maritime and air blockade” of the island, according to the island’s Defense Ministry.
Chinese blockade forces more than 900 flights to change routes via Taiwan
The maneuvers, which kick off a day after Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taipei, include closing maritime and airspace in six areas around the island and have affected 18 international air routes on the island and more than 900 flights have been forced to modify their route.
Tension in Taiwan is likely to be one of the main issues in Borrell’s meeting in Phnom Penh today with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in the Cambodian capital yesterday to participate in a series of meetings in which the Chinese foreign minister will also participate. Wang Yi, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Washington is Taipei’s largest arms seller
Taiwan, with whom the US does not maintain official relations, is one of the biggest reasons for conflict between China and the US, mainly because Washington is the main supplier of weapons to the island and would be its greatest military ally in case of war conflict with the Asian giant.
China insists on “reunifying” the People’s Republic with the island, which has been governed autonomously since the Kuomintang Nationalists (KMT) retreated there in 1949 after losing the civil war against the Communists and continued the regime of the Republic of China, which culminated in the transition to democracy in the 1990s.
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