 "China 'wrecking status quo' in Taiwan Strait: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu")
China is "wrecking the status quo" in the Taiwan Strait, said Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu on Friday as he slammed Chinese military drills following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island.
In an exclusive interview with Voice of America (VOA), Wu said additional foreign delegations are "more than welcome" in Taipei and rebuffed China's furious reaction to last week's visit by Pelosi.
"Anyone who wants to come to Taiwan to show their support, they are more than welcome to visit us," Wu told VOA during the interview at Taiwan's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The minister said Taiwan will not be prevented from conducting its own foreign policy. "We need to remember that if we are doing the right things, Chinese anger should not stop us from doing so," he said. "They can always find excuses to threaten Taiwan militarily," he told VOA.
This response comes days after China released a white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era" reiterating its claims on the self-ruled island with over 22 million people.
Chinese state media said the white paper was released to "reiterate the fact" that Taiwan is part of China and to demonstrate the resolve of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and their commitment to national reunification.
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According to Xinhua news agency, the white paper emphasizes the position and policies of the CPC and the Chinese government in the new era. It states that Taiwan belongs to China since ancient times,
The white paper said the CPC is committed to the historic mission of resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification.
On Wednesday, China announced that it has concluded its military drills after more than a week-long training near Taiwan, simulating an attack on the self-ruled island.
But Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said it remains on high alert following an announcement by the PLA to halt the drills.
"While PLA Eastern Theater announced that they have finished their joint military operation and will conduct routine patrol, ROC Armed Forces will adjust how we deploy our forces considering multiple factors including troop morale and threats, without letting our guard down," the ministry said this week.
Taiwan stated that China used military drills to influence the international community's freedom of navigation in the waters and airspace of the Taiwan Strait and to prepare for an invasion.