The US and Taipei governments denounced China’s military’s Monday launch of a fresh round of war games close to Taiwan, claiming it was a warning to the “separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces.”
China considers democratically governed Taiwan, which is under its own sovereignty, to be its own territory. Since President Lai Ching-te’s national day speech last week, which Beijing denounced because Lai claimed China had no right to represent Taiwan while simultaneously offering cooperation, Taiwan has been on high alert.
The “Joint Sword-2024B” exercises, according to the Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command, are happening in the Taiwan Strait and in regions to the east, north, and south of Taiwan.
“The exercise also acts as a harsh warning to Taiwan independence forces regarding their separatist actions. In a statement released in both Chinese and English, it said, “It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity.”
The command did not specify the end date of the drills.
The organization released a map showing the nine drill locations: two on the east coast, three on the west coast, one in the north, and three around Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast.
According to the command, Chinese ships and planes are drawing near to Taiwan from various directions, with a particular emphasis on sea-air combat readiness patrols, blockading important ports and areas, attacking land and marine targets, and achieving a “joint seizure of comprehensive superiority.”
It did not, however, declare any no-fly zones or live-fire drills. China fired missiles over Taiwan in 2022, not long after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
Chinese state media reported that China’s coast guard conducted “law enforcement” patrols near Taiwan’s offshore islands and circled the island nation in infrequent operations.
China’s most recent war games and refusal to give up the use of force, according to Taiwan’s China Policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, are “blatant provocations” that gravely jeopardize regional peace and stability.
Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council declared in a statement that Taiwan would not back down in the face of the additional political, military, and economic threats that China has posed to Taiwan in recent days.
“President Lai has already expressed his goodwill in his national day speech and is willing to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait together with the Chinese communists,” said the statement.
The ministry further stated that Lai’s National Day speech emphasized the present condition of cross-strait relations, the strong desire to preserve peace and stability, and the need for future cooperation in addressing issues like climate change.
“The Chinese communists’ claim of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ is a complete departure from the truth,” it stated.
According to Joseph Wu, secretary-general of the National Security Council of Taiwan, Taiwan will “stay alert,” but it will also “remain moderate and responsible, maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”
During a forum on Chinese politics in Taipei, Wu stated, “Leaders around the world talk more than ever about the need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“Taiwan will continue to seek possibilities for talks with China.”
Both Taiwan’s ministry of defense and the coast guard announced the deployment of their own forces.
After Lai’s “routine” speech, an official from the US President Joe Biden administration in Washington declared that they were monitoring the drills and found them unnecessary.
The official stated that they had urged China to “avoid any further action that may jeopardise peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region.”
Speaking to Reuters under condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, a senior Taiwan security official stated that they thought China was practicing blockading international shipping lanes, Taiwanese ports to the north and south of the island, and preventing the entry of foreign forces.
Taiwan announced on Sunday that a Chinese aircraft carrier group was travelling through the vital Bashi Channel, which divides Taiwan from the Philippines and links the South China Sea and Pacific. The group was en route to the southern part of the island.
Chinese state media has published a number of articles and commentary criticizing Lai’s speech since Thursday. On Sunday, the Eastern Theatre Command released a video declaring its readiness for battle.
The headline in the PLA’s Liberation Army Daily newspaper on Monday read, “Those who play with fire burn!”
“As long as the ‘Taiwan Independence’ provocations continue, the PLA’s actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not stop,” the newspaper stated.
Soon after Lai took office in May, China conducted the two-day “Joint Sword-2024A” drills around Taiwan, claiming that they were “punishment” for separatist content in his inauguration speech.
Every time Lai has offered to hold talks with China, he has faced rejection. He rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, saying that only the people of Taiwan can determine their own destiny.
