Another military maneuver and martial statements from Beijing are increasing concerns about an escalation of the conflict between China and Taiwan. Taipei has put the army on alert.
In response to Chinese military exercises around the democratically governed island, Taiwan has put its troops on alert. China’s “irrational provocation has endangered regional peace and stability,” the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said. Taiwan will not seek conflict, but will not shy away from it either.
Taiwanese forces on land, sea and in the air were deployed to defend “freedom and democracy with practical actions,” Taipei said. The ministry did not provide any further details on the measures.
As Taiwan’s regional partner, Australia expressed concern about rising tensions with China. There are fears that Chinese military operations in the Taiwan Strait could lead to an accident or escalation, said a spokesman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in all of our interests.”
Large-scale military exercise around Taiwan
Shortly after the inauguration of the new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, China began a large-scale military exercise around the East Asian island republic. The army, navy, air force and the missile forces will be holding exercises in the strait between China and Taiwan and around Taiwan itself from Thursday morning (local time) until Friday, it said.
“This is also a severe punishment for the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces,” said spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army East Division, Marine Colonel Li Xi.
As Chinese state television reported, the military exercises would be held in the Taiwan Strait and north, south and east of Taiwan. The areas around islands controlled by Taiwan would also be affected – including Matsu and Kinmen, which are only a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland.
Beijing: Separatist Forces are “shattered”
According to military expert Zhang Chi on Chinese state television, China is simulating a blockade of Taiwan during the maneuver. The army wants to practice stopping energy imports “as a lifeline” to Taiwan, cutting off escape routes abroad for Taiwan’s politicians and preventing support from allies such as the USA. The exercise is likely to be the largest since April 2023, in which China also rehearsed a blockade.
The exercises were in accordance with international law and were fully justified and necessary, said Chinese Foreign Office spokesman Wang Wenbin. All separatist forces of Taiwan independence would be “shattered in the face of the historical development of the complete reunification of China,” he said.
Taiwan: Military exercise endangers peace and stability
“It is regrettable to see the unilateral military provocations that endanger Taiwan’s democracy and freedom as well as peace and stability,” said a spokeswoman for the Taiwanese president after the exercises were announced. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidential election in January and stands for independence for Taiwan, but the new incumbent Lai Ching-te has not yet indicated that he wants to officially declare this.
The ruling Communist Party in Beijing accuses the DPP of separatism. China’s government had seen Lai’s inaugural speech as a dangerous signal for independence and read it as a more radical approach. Lai had demanded that China accept Taiwan’s existence.
China considers Taiwan to be its own territory, even though the democratically ruled island has never been under the control of the People’s Republic. The leadership in Beijing regularly threatens war if a peaceful unification does not occur. Against this background, China’s military repeatedly carries out maneuvers around the island.