China’s Drills Around Taiwan Prompt Global Alarm, Lawmakers Urge Swift Response | World News

TAIPEI: China continued military exercises around Taiwan for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, Focus Taiwan reported; conducted live-fire exercises, drawing harsh reactions from the United States, Germany and a global alliance of lawmakers.


Reacting to the drills, US Senator Roger Wicker said on


Wicker said Washington should act quickly by ramping up production linked to recent Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan and implementing congressionally approved Presidential Withdrawal Authority and Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative funding to ensure essential defense capabilities. These remarks were made by the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to Focus Taiwan.

He also called on “our Taiwanese allies” to put aside political divisions to ensure the passage of President Lai Ching-te’s proposed special defense budget.


The objection was directed at Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party, which continue to block a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.96 billion) plan approved in late November to finance arms procurement and joint development programs with the United States from 2026 to 2033.


“There is no time to waste,” the Republican senator wrote.


Chinese officials said the exercises were conducted in response to a US$11.1 billion US arms sale recently approved under the Trump administration, which included M109A7 howitzers, HIMARS rocket systems, anti-tank missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, Focus Taiwan reported.


Other US lawmakers also voiced their support for Taiwan. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said on channel X: “The United States stands with Taiwan and will continue to oppose coercion, aggression and threats to regional stability.”


Senator Tom Cotton praised the Trump administration’s approach to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and called Taiwan a reliable US partner.


According to Focus Taiwan, German Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter from the Christian Democratic Union in Europe called on Berlin to condemn China’s actions, support Taiwan and reconsider Beijing’s commitment to the one-China policy.


Meanwhile, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a coalition of lawmakers from democratic countries, said the exercises deliberately increased the PLA’s coercive pressure and reflected a move away from restraint.


The group warned that China’s increasing reliance on military intimidation methods increases the risk of miscalculation, threatening stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as Indo-Pacific and global prosperity.


IPAC called on governments to go beyond statements and adopt a unified deterrence framework aimed at increasing the cost of attack, strengthening preparedness and ensuring coordinated responses to escalation.


Concerns were also voiced by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippine representative office in Taiwan.


In a statement reported by Focus Taiwan, MECO said developments that increase the risk of tension, miscalculation or conflict in the Taiwan Strait are “deeply concerning”, especially given their potential impact on regional stability, trade routes and the security of Filipinos living and working in Taiwan.


“We call on all parties to show maximum restraint, avoid actions that will escalate tensions and keep communication channels open,” the statement said.