The Eastern Field Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced that Beijing will hold three days of military exercises around Taiwan, starting today, Saturday.
The command added in a brief statement that China will conduct “combat-ready patrols” and conduct exercises around the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”.
And the Chinese army stressed that: the exercises are a “warning” to the “separatist forces” in Taiwan.
For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said, on Saturday, that it had detected 13 Chinese aircraft and 3 warships around the island.
“Four of the observed aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the southeastern part of the air defense identification zone,” it noted.
The Ministry of Defense in Taipei considered that the Chinese military exercises threaten “stability and security” in the region, adding that China “used President Tsai’s visit and transit in the United States as an excuse to conduct military exercises that seriously undermine peace, stability and security in the region.”
The announcement of the exercises came a day after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a visit to the United States.
Tsai met US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy while in Los Angeles on Wednesday, angering Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory.
Taiwan President: Nothing will stop us from reaching out to the world
- Tsai said on Friday upon her return from a visit to Central America and the United States that Taiwan would not be stopped from reaching out to the world and would not bow to pressure.
- After getting off the plane, Tsai said the warm reception for her abroad had a strong message.
- “We have shown the international community that Taiwan will be more united in the face of pressure and threats, will not yield to oppression, and will not stop communicating with the world because of obstacles,” said the Taiwanese president.
- “Our democratic partners support Taiwan’s determination to protect democracy and freedom, and our democratic partners also strengthen our friendship,” Tsai said.
Chinese Response to Tsai’s Journey
- In a statement released shortly before Tsai’s plane landing, China’s Office on Taiwan Affairs reiterated its opposition to her visit to the United States, which was described as a “transit trip” even though her most important meetings took place during it.
- The Chinese statement said: “What is described as a transit trip … is in fact a provocation, relying on the United States to seek independence.”
- The statement did not announce any specific retaliatory steps.
- About 30 minutes before the mainland plane landed, Taiwan’s defense ministry denied a Taiwanese media report that its plane had been subjected to “unidentified interference”, saying that this was not true.
- The ministry confirmed that a special military force had been deployed to “control the entire operation,” with naval and air forces participating in the escort.
