ISTANBUL

The EU warned on Tuesday that China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan are raising cross-strait tensions and risking international peace.

"China’s recent military exercise further increases cross-strait tensions and endangers international peace and stability. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity," EU Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said in a statement.

She reiterated the bloc's call to "exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions" and urged cross-strait dialogue.

"The EU has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral actions that change the status quo, in particular by force or coercion," Hipper further noted.

French Foreign Ministry, on US social media platform X, also voiced "concern" over China's military exercises and reiterated their "commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

Beijing launched the Justice Mission 2025 joint military drills on Monday, days after the US approved a one-time record sale of arms worth over $11 billion to Taipei.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday that the drills are "a punitive and deterrent response to Taiwan independence separatist forces who attempt to seek independence through military buildup."

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, for his part, said Beijing “has continued to escalate military tension in the region, which is not the behavior of a responsible world power," according to Focus Taiwan.

"Taiwan will not provoke a confrontation, nor seek conflict with China," he added.