Taiwan thanks the US, others for supporting peace in the region

Taipei: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Sunday expressed his gratitude to the US and the international community for support amid higher tensions in the region, calling on China to jointly shoulder the important responsibility of regional stability.

"I am very grateful to US President Joe Biden, the US government and Congress, and other countries around the world for their firm support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Lai told reporters in southern Taiwan at an event held by his independence-leaning Progressive Progressive Party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

During his inaugural speech on Monday, Lai stressed that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to global security and prosperity.

"Any country that creates disturbance in the Taiwan Strait and affects regional stability will not be accepted by the international community," Lai said.

Lai said he is very much looking forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation through exchanges and cooperation with China in order to create mutual benefits.

Lai's comments came just a day after Washington said it was "deeply concerned" about China's military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan, which were conducted days after Lai's inauguration.

"We are monitoring PRC activities closely and coordinating with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Saturday.

"We strongly urge Beijing to act with restraint. Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that for decades have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is critical for regional and global security and prosperity and a matter of international concern," Miller said.