EPA
Taiwan deployed fighter jets in response to China's military maneuvers
China launched new military exercises off the coast of Taiwan on Monday in what it called “punishment” for a speech by its President William Lai in which he pledged to “resist annexation ” or “the encroachment on our sovereignty”.
China claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own and its President Xi Jinping has vowed to take it back by force if necessary.
Taiwan said it detected 34 military ships and 125 aircraft in formation around the island on Monday.
Maps published by Chinese state media showed its forces were positioned around the entire island. He said later Monday that the exercises had ended successfully.
China's military, known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said the exercises involved all wings of the military and were designed to simulate a land, sea and air attack on Taiwan.
Capt. Li Xi, a spokesperson for the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, said the exercises “fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities” of its troops.
Taiwan's airports and ports continued to operate normally.
An earlier statement from Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned the Chinese move and said its priority was to avoid direct clashes that could further escalate the situation. The remote islands have been put on alert, the statement added.
China's Foreign Ministry confirmed it had simulated military assaults and port blockades, and called Taiwan's independence “incompatible” with peace in the region.
A post from the Chinese Coast Guard on its Weibo account later said the patrol's route was shaped like a heart.
Chinese Coast Guard
China has held several major military exercises off the coast of Taiwan since 2022 and its fighter jets regularly enter Taiwanese airspace.
The latest exercise was dubbed Joint Sword 2024-B by Beijing and had been widely anticipated since May, when exercises of the same name and officially labeled as Part A were held.
The exercise, which China described as the largest yet, was timed to coincide with the inauguration of President Lai, whom Beijing has long viewed as a “troublemaker” advocating Taiwan independence.
His latest comments, made on Taiwan's National Day, were condemned by China, which said he was escalating tensions with “sinister intentions”.
But even though these exercises were widely expected, considering the deployment and proximity of Chinese ships and aircraft to Taiwan – as well as the heated rhetoric – this is very aggressive behavior.
In any other context, this would be considered a dramatic escalation – but it comes against a backdrop of already very high tensions.
The United States responded by saying there was no justification for the exercises after Lai's “routine” speech and that China should avoid further actions that could endanger peace and stability in the region.
China's recent history of military intimidation against Taiwan dates back to 1996, after Taiwan held its first direct presidential elections. China declared several areas around Taiwan off-limits and fired short-range ballistic missiles at these areas off the northern and southern coasts.
US President Bill Clinton quietly sent US naval forces into the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate to Beijing that the US would prevent an attack on the island.
Tensions eased significantly between 2008 and 2016, until Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen was elected president. China considers the DPP to be an uncompromising pro-independence party and has responded by cutting off all direct contact with the government in Taipei.
This situation has remained since then.
In August 2022, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei – the first time a Speaker had visited the island since 1997. Pelosi and her open support for Taiwan were seen by Beijing as a huge provocation – coming close to formal recognition of the government here by a very senior American politician.
It responded furiously by holding two days of exercises and launching ballistic missiles over the island and into the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
