The last time China announced similar military exercises around Taiwan was in August last year.
Beijing:
China on Thursday morning began two days of military exercises around Taiwan, surrounding the island with navy ships and aircraft as “strong punishment” for “separatist acts”, state media reported.
The military exercise comes three days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as the self-ruled island’s new president.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has labeled Lai a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the island.
China, which separated from Taiwan at the end of a civil war in 1949, considers the island a renegade province with which it must eventually be reunified, and has refused to rule out using military force to do so.
Relations have plummeted in recent years as China has stepped up pressure on the democratic island, periodically stoking concerns about a potential invasion.
Thursday and Friday’s exercises, codenamed Joint Sword-2024A, “will focus on joint sea-air combat readiness patrol, joint takeover of comprehensive control of the battlefield, and joint precision strikes against key targets.” , Xinhua reported.
“The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has started joint military exercises around the island of Taiwan from 7:45 am on Thursday (23:45 GMT),” the news agency said, adding that the exercises were being driven across the Taiwan Strait. and to the north, south and east of the island.
Exercises will also take place on the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, Xinhua said.
The news agency reported that military spokesman Li Xi said the exercises “involve patrolling ships and planes approaching areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test capabilities joint combat operations of the command’s forces”.
The spokesperson said the drills would also serve as a “strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces,” Xinhua said.
– ‘Real combat conditions’ –
The last time China announced similar military exercises around Taiwan was in August last year, after Lai, then vice president, stopped in the United States on a visit to Paraguay.
These exercises also tested the PLA’s ability “to take control of air and sea spaces” and to fight “in real combat conditions,” according to state media.
At the time, Beijing described them as a “stern warning.”
They followed in the footsteps of April exercises that simulated the siege of the island, triggered after Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, met with then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
China also launched major military exercises in 2022 after Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan.
The country also carried out exercises when then-president Tsai later transited through the United States.
World powers want to see as much stability as possible between China and Taiwan, especially given the vital role the island plays in the global economy.
The Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s most important maritime trade arteries, and the island itself is a major maker of technology, especially of vital semiconductors — the tiny chips used in everything from smartphones to missile systems.
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