China stressed, on Wednesday, that its air and naval exercises, which simulated the recent blockade of Taiwan, were intended to send a “serious warning” to local politicians who support the independence of the self-ruled island and their foreign allies.
The large-scale 3-day air and sea exercise, code-named “United Sword,” ended Monday, was in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during her transit through the United States.
China warned of the danger of this meeting, and its consequences, if held.
“The People’s Liberation Army recently organized a series of countermeasures in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, which is a serious warning due to the complicity and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and outside forces,” said Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, at a fortnightly press conference.
“This is a necessary measure to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she added.
no-fly zone
In the context, 4 sources said that China plans to impose a no-fly zone in northern Taiwan from April 16 to 18.
The officials, who are from outside China and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the ban would disrupt Taiwan’s northern FIR, adding that it was not clear why the ban was imposed.
China and Taiwan
- China considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory, but has not been able to unify it with the rest of its territory.
- China regularly sends warplanes into Taiwanese airspace, and ships into waters near the island.
- In the name of the “one China” principle, Beijing believes that no country should establish official relations with Beijing and Taipei at the same time, and it has expressed its opposition to any official exchanges between the island and the United States.
- In August 2022, a visit to Taiwan that she made on the personal initiative of Nancy Pelosi, who was then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, angered Beijing, which in response to this move organized large-scale military maneuvers around Taiwan.
- Washington, which announced its diplomatic recognition of Beijing in 1979, is Taiwan’s strongest ally and a major arms supplier.
