Great Britain, France and Germany on Wednesday issued a rare joint statement expressing alarm over Chinese activities east of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, where China earlier this month deployed coast guard patrols.

The de-facto embassies of the three European nations in the Taiwanese capital Taipei said the “novel Chinese activity,” which was not specifically identified, endangered regional stability.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to annex the island, called the maneuvers earlier this month a “maritime traffic enforcement and hydrographic survey operation.”

Chinese state media said the activities were “sending a pointed warning” to Japan and the Philippines over an announcement that the countries would discuss their maritime boundaries in waters that Beijing views as its own.

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“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,” the [joint European] statement said.

The offices also called for navigational rights and freedoms and respect for the safety of all seafarers.

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Beijing’s tensions with Tokyo also have increased since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year suggested the country’s military could get involved if China takes action against Taiwan.

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