TAIPEI - Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Friday urged China not to change the "status quo" around waters near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas.

"The current situation across the Strait should be controllable," the council's deputy head and spokesman Jan Jyh-horng told a press conference.

China said this week it would boost its defence spending by 7.2per cent this year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan.

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Shiyu or Lion Islet, which is part of Kinmen County, one of Taiwan's offshore islands, is pictured with China's Xiamen in the background, in Kinmen, Taiwan February 21, 2024.

Taiwan

china

Defence and military

Reuters

TAIPEI - Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Friday urged China not to change the "status quo" around waters near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas. "The current situation across the Strait should be controllable," the council's deputy head and spokesman Jan Jyh-horng told a press conference. China said this week it would boost its defence...

Taiwan urges China not to change 'status quo' around waters near Kinmen islands