from China military exercises around Taiwan were designed to test its ability to “seize power” over the island, the People’s Liberation Army said Friday as its forces began a second day of large-scale exercises encircling its democratic neighbor.
The exercises are the biggest in more than a year and take place just days after Taiwan sworn in its new president, Lai Ching-tewhich is openly hated by Beijing for defending the island’s sovereignty and distinct identity.
Beijing denounced Lai as a “dangerous separatist” and condemned his inauguration speech on Monday, during which he called on China to cease intimidation of Taiwan, which has become much more pronounced under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The PLA, which outnumbers Taipei’s unarmed military, began exercises on Thursday morning, sending warships and fighter jets around Taiwan and its outlying islands in what it called “a strong punishment for separatist acts by Taiwanese forces.” Taiwan independence.”
On Friday, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said it was continuing exercises on both sides of Taiwan’s island chain to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks and occupy key areas.”
China’s ruling Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.
The vast majority of Taiwanese do not want to live under Chinese rule. But Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in a generation, has made clear that the island’s “inevitable reunification” with the mainland cannot be postponed indefinitely.
The two-day exercises, involving joint operations by China’s army, navy, air force and rocket force, are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow stretch of water separating the island from mainland China – as well as in north, south and east China. Taiwan, according to the PLA.
For the first time, the PLA exercises also involved the Chinese Coast Guard, operating in areas around the outlying islands of Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, located off China’s southeast coast.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry condemned China’s military exercises as “unreasonable provocations” and sent its own sea, air and land forces in response.
Between 6am on Thursday and 6am on Friday, the ministry detected 49 Chinese aircraft, including 35 that crossed the Median Line, an informal demarcation point in the Taiwan Strait that Beijing does not recognize, but until recent years had widely respected.
A total of 19 Chinese warships and seven coast guard ships were detected near the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry.
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