US tells Beijing to ‘stop its coercive efforts and resume dialogue’ with ‘democratically elected’ Taiwanese government
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/04
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to reports that Chinese fighter jets crossed the
State Department spokesman Robert Palladino. (Image from state.gov)
Taiwan Strait median line on Sunday (March 31), the U.S. on Tuesday (April 2) warned China against the use of “force or coercion” against Taiwan.
At a press conference on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said, “The United States opposes unilateral actions by any party that are aimed at altering the status quo, including anything related to force or coercion.”
He added that “Beijing should stop its coercive efforts and resume dialogue with the democratically elected administration.”
At 11 a.m. on Sunday, two PLAAF J-11 fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into Taiwanese air space, coming within 185 kilometers of Taiwan. A 12-minute-long standoff then ensued between fighter jets of the two countries, before the Chinese warplanes finally retreated back to their side, according to local media reports.
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