New Delhi: Taiwan thanked India and many other countries on Sunday for their calls for restraint and avoiding unilateral moves to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait in the face of China’s hostile military posture in the aftermath of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

Taiwan asserted that it has a right to continue its diplomatic contacts with other countries in light of Beijing’s recent diplomatic offensive to reaffirm international support for its ‘One China’ policy.

Following Pelosi’s travel to Taiwan about ten days ago, China staged its largest-ever military drill around the independent island and accused the US of inciting the conflict. Taiwan is viewed as a separatist province by China.

The government of Taiwan will keep improving its self-defense capabilities, according to a statement from its representative office in New Delhi. At the same time, it will maintain close contact and coordination with the US, Japan, and all other like-minded countries, including India, to jointly protect the rules-based international order.

Taiwan expressed its heartfelt gratitude to all nations for expressing justice and “grave concerns” about China’s recent provocative military posturing across the Taiwan Strait, according to the statement.

The statement was issued by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), the Taiwanese government’s representative agency in India. “The government of ROC (Taiwan) wishes to convey sincere gratitude to the executive branches and parliamentarians of over 50 countries — including India — which have called on all sides to exercise restrain, de-escalate tensions, avoid unilateral actions to change status quo and maintain peace and stability in the region,” it said.

India denounced any unilateral action to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait on Friday in its initial response to the Taiwan problem and urged for actions to uphold peace and stability in the area. But in its statement, India made no mention of the “One China” policy.

The Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, asked on Saturday that New Delhi accept China’s “justified position” and repeat its support for the “One-China” policy in the context of the Taiwan issue. Following Pelosi’s journey to Taiwan, Beijing asserts that almost 160 nations have reiterated their support for the “One China” policy.

“China’s deliberate intensification of various forms of military posturing targeted at Taiwan recently has severely disrupted peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” the statement by TECC said. “We earnestly call on the international community to jointly condemn China’s irrational military provocations and urge all countries to continue to speak up in support of democratic Taiwan with an aim to safeguard the values of freedom and democracy,” it said.