Britain, France, and Germany raised the alarm on June 24 over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted coast guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, earlier in June sent coast guard ships into the waters off the island’s east coast for what it called a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation”. The de facto British, French and German embassies in Taipei said in a rare joint statement, “We have noted with concern novel Chinese activity in the waters east of Taiwan.” They stated, “These actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping. We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion.” China said the coast guard patrol had inspected 198 passing vessels and “rectified violations” involving three ships. Taiwan said that three passing merchant ships in the area were “harassed” by the Chinese coast guard. Speaking to reporters in Beijing earlier on June 24, Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the patrols were lawful, legitimate and necessary.