In response to the announcement by the CCP of the cancellation of the deviation of the flight route for the M503 and other actions, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated today (31^st) that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is paramount for the security, prosperity, and well-being of the Indo-Pacific region, and should be collectively borne by all parties in the region. The unilateral and arbitrary actions by the CCP can easily lead to rising tensions and impact security and stability across the Taiwan Strait. As such, the Beijing authorities must shoulder responsibility and immediately stop such actions.

    The MND emphasized that the Armed Forces will prepare for war rather than invite it, and engage where appropriate, not avoid it. It will also adopt joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance means to continuously monitor developments around the sea and air space of the Taiwan Strait, and take appropriate warning, response measures, and notification alerts based on enemy threats. Unidentified aircraft that enter our air defense identification zone will be dealt with according to operation procedures and emergency response regulations to ensure the safety of our airspace.