On Wednesday, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen stated that her recent foreign visit, including the United States, demonstrated Taiwan’s firm commitment to safeguarding freedom and democracy, despite provoking China to conduct military exercises around the island. During the conclusion of her tour, which involved visits to Guatemala and Belize, Tsai held a meeting with Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, in Los Angeles last week. 

Starting on Saturday, China, which considers Taiwan as its own territory and does not recognise its democratic governance or statehood, initiated military exercises around the island, causing anger and frustration. “During our trip, we reiterate our commitment to defending freedom and democracy in Taiwan, which garnered recognition and support from our democratic allies, sending a strong message to the international community,” Tsai said. 

She emphasised the urgent need for democracies to come together and collaborate in the face of ongoing authoritarian expansionism. Canada holds a significant position as a democratic ally, and she expressed readiness to work closely with Canada and other like-minded partners to collectively protect the fundamental principles of freedom and democracy. Tsai appeared at ease as she welcomed the 10 Canadian legislators, despite the existing tensions with China. She even made a joke when the interpreter translated her opening remarks into English after using “bonjour,” the French word for hello.

Although China declared on Monday that the three-day drills had concluded as planned, Beijing has persisted with military operations in the vicinity of Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, 35 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels were detected in the past 24 hours surrounding Taiwan as of Wednesday morning. According to a map provided by the ministry, 14 aircraft had violated the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which typically acts as an unspoken boundary between the two sides.

At the northern end of the median line, there were five Su-30 fighters among the aircraft that crossed it, while the remaining planes crossed at locations in the centre and south. Since staging war games near Taiwan in August and following a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Chinese air force has been regularly crossing the median line, in contrast to their previous occasional crossings. China has declared that it refuses to acknowledge the presence of the line. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s government vehemently denies China’s territorial rights and asserts that the destiny of Taiwan should be determined solely by its people.