China ends Taiwan Strait tacit agreement - minister

STORY: Chiu said China's crossings of the median line indicated a new way of doing things, which Taiwan would resist.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday (October 4) that China was seeking to "normalize" its military activities close to the self-ruled island, including crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which poses a challenge like none seen before.

For years, China tacitly acknowledged the unmarked median line but in 2020 a foreign ministry spokesman stated it "did not exist."

China said its armed forces have a right to operate around Taiwan as it is Chinese territory. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying as China has never ruled Taiwan and only the island's 23 million people have the right to decide their future.