Canada condemns Chinese wargames surrounding Taiwan

OTTAWA — Canada is joining Western nations calling on China to stop escalating tensions in the Taiwan strait as the communist regime holds large-scale military drills off the shores of Taiwan.

In a lightly-worded statement issued Friday morning by Global Affairs Canada, Canada registered its opposition to Beijing.

“Canada opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” the statement read.

“The Taiwan Strait is indispensable to the security and prosperity of the international community. It is in the interest of all parties to maintain the peaceful and accessible nature of this waterway.”

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The wargames came in direct response to the United States’ announcing one of its largest-ever sales of military hardware to Taiwan — an $11 billion USD ($15 billion CAD) deal that includes missiles, rocket launchers and artillery.

That prompted China, who views an independent and democratic Taiwan as a renegade province, to condemn the move and prompted the ongoing live-fire exercises in the Taiwan strait.

In a statement to the Toronto Sun, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Canada Harry Tseng said Canada’s support is both welcomed and appreciated.

“Canada’s firm opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo underscores its commitment to peace, stability, and the rules-based international order,” Tseng said.

“The Taiwan Strait is vital to global security and prosperity, and preserving its peace serves shared international interests. This is also a key pillar of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and should not be overlooked.”

Drills meant as warning to Taiwan

Taiwan’s defence ministry said they’re currently tracking 28 Chinese warships and 89 military aircraft operating off the Taiwanese coast, essentially surrounding the nation.

Entitled “Justice Mission 2025,” the drills are clearly designed as a warning to Taiwan, who spent the past year bolstering its defences as Beijing’s rhetoric in the region grows more hostile.

“All those plotting independence will be annihilated upon encountering the shield!” read a message from the Chinese military posted on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

Here at home, Canada’s Chinese embassy spent 2025 purchasing full-page ads in the Ottawa-based newspaper The Hill Times, consisting of op-eds from Chinese Ambassador Wang Di — dismissed by Tseng as more sabre-rattling from the communist regime.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to visit China later this month, with information on the itinerary of that meeting yet to be announced.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume