China recently conducted a military exercise that simulates an attack on Taiwan, stating that it was in response to “external interference.” The drill comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei, as the Chinese government seeks to assert its dominance over the region. The provocative move has sparked concerns in the international community, with many fearing that the situation could escalate into a full-blown conflict. In this article, we take a closer look at the implications of China’s latest military exercise and what it could mean for the future of Taiwan.
China’s military has conducted precision strike simulations against Taiwan, with air and sea drills taking place for three days across the island over the weekend. Taiwan’s defence ministry reported multiple air force sorties and missile force monitoring. China regards democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, and its aircraft carrier Shandong is currently over 400 nautical miles off Taiwan’s southeast coast, with drills ongoing. Observers said the targets identified would include runways, military logistics facilities and mobile targets, and could be “annihilated in one fell swoop if necessary”. Reports in state-backed media indicate that it is the first time China has openly talked of simulated attacks on Taiwan.
Taiwan has responded with appropriate measures and maintained its stance of not escalating conflicts. The US remains a keen observer and claimed to be “comfortable and confident” it has sufficient resources and capabilities regionally to ensure peace and stability. Meanwhile, US channels of communication with China have remained open, but Washington is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself and is frequently at odds with Beijing over Taiwan. Since the 1979 severing of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the US has tried to balance its commitment to Taiwan with its relationship with Beijing.
Taiwan has announced ambitions to double its defence spending over the next five years, including buying new weapons from the US. US fighter jets are among the most important weaponry in Taiwan’s arsenal. Last week, the US State Department gave the green light for a major arms sale, including “eight Patriot missile batteries, 13 rocket launch systems and accompanying equipment, and 250 Block I-92F MANPAD Stinger missiles” that can be mounted onto vehicles or aircraft. The sale, worth around $2.2bn, could lead to a further deteriorating of US-China relations.
The heightened tension comes against a background of strained US-China relations. In between official trade meetings, the two sides are trading tariffs, and rhetoric has become increasingly hostile. China has been critical of US support for Taiwan, viewing it as a separatist movement, while Washington has been critical of China’s attempts to assert control over the South China Sea. Given the pre-existing tension, it looks unlikely that the weekend’s military engagement will go unremarked.
