Amid increasing Chinese military activities, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday spoke out against the use of military force in the Taiwan Strait.
Lee during a visit to the United States in the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine defended the status quo in the Taiwan Strait in discussion with Council on Foreign Relations, reported Taiwan News.
He called for the status quo in the Taiwan Strait to be maintained.
He said during a discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington that military force or other non-peaceful means could not be allowed to change Taiwan's situation, the Liberty Times reported.
Lee emphasized that Ukraine and Taiwan were two different cases, as Europe had the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and clear "red lines" that could not be crossed. East Asia had no such alliance, but was the site of confrontation hotspots, he said.
Taiwan's status could in no way be changed by military or other non-peaceful means, as the issue not only involved the economy and strategy but also politics and the feelings of the people, Lee said.
The issue could only be resolved after a long period, according to the Singaporean leader.
He remarked the Russian invasion of Ukraine had touched upon several issues important to China, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the principle of non-interference, turning the war into a tricky question for Beijing, reported Taiwan News.
Taiwan's fine balance in its relationship with China is coming under stress in recent times. China asserts that there is only "one China" and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of it.
China put forward a formula, known as "one country, two systems", under which both Beijing and Taipei agree that Taiwan belongs to China, while the two still disagree on which entity is China's legitimate governing body.
The tacit agreement underlying the formula is that Taiwan will not seek independence. China also stated its right to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if it tried to secede from China.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that it has vowed to retake, by force if necessary.
( With inputs from ANI )
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