BEIJING (AP) — China toned down its rhetoric on Taiwan on Wednesday, saying it was inevitable that the self-governing island would come under its control, but that it would encourage efforts to do so peacefully.
The comments came a day after the US and Canadian navies crossed the strait between China and Taiwan.
They don’t seem to signal a shift in policy so much as a broader attempt to calm the waters on multiple fronts ahead of a big meeting of the ruling Communist Party next month.
“I would like to reiterate that…we stand ready to work towards the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and utmost effort,” said Ma Xiaoguang, government spokesperson in Taiwan, when asked about growing concerns that China could use force.
China conducted major military exercises around the island last month in response to a visit by US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
China’s Defense Ministry, for the second time in recent weeks, noted the passage of US warships through the Taiwan Strait, but refrained from calling it provocative, as it had earlier this year.
Chinese forces monitored the USS Higgins, a guided-missile destroyer, and a Canadian frigate, HMCS Vancouver, spokesman Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement. He added that the military will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement that Tuesday’s joint maneuver “demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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