SYSTEM - Taiwan convenes security meeting amid Beijing’s ‘blockade’ drills

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has convened a national security meeting in response to large-scale drills by Beijing's forces around the self-governing island.

In a statement on Monday, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said that the Taiwanese military was “fully monitoring” Beijing’s exercises, adding that Taipei remains committed to “maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.”

“China should face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan] and respect the Taiwanese people’s choice of a democratic and free way of life,” she said, vowing that the island would “continue to defend the free and democratic constitutional system” in the face of “external threats.”

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry condemned Beijing's military drills. “This reckless action is particularly provocative after our goodwill call to jointly safeguard Taiwan Strait peace. We uphold democracy and urge China to use self-restraint and refrain from undermining regional stability.”

The island’s Defense Ministry echoed that statement, saying it would “deploy appropriate forces to respond and defend our national sovereignty.”