Canada pushes back on Chinese military drills in Taiwan Strait

By Canadian Press on January 2, 2026.

OTTAWA — Canada is pushing back on Chinese influence in the Taiwan Strait after Beijing ratcheted up tensions in East Asia by conducting military drills off Taiwan this week.

China’s People’s Liberation Army said Wednesday that it had “successfully completed” two days of military exercises in the waters off Taiwan, concluding a set of high-powered manoeuvres aimed at asserting its sovereignty over the island.

Global Affairs Canada says in a media statement that Canada “opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

The agency says the strait connecting the east and south China seas is “indispensable to the security and prosperity of the international community” and it’s “in the interest of all parties to maintain the peaceful and accessible nature of this waterway.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping renewed his country’s long-standing commitment to annexing self-governed Taiwan in his New Year’s Eve address Wednesday.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te condemned the drills but said his territory would act responsibly by neither escalating the conflict nor provoking disputes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2026.

— with files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press