China holds military maneuvers around Taiwan

Taipei. China sent planes and ships on Monday to surround Taiwan as a “warning,” Beijing announced, in its most recent military exercises aimed at the self-governing island that it considers part of its territory.

The exercises, called Joint Sword 2024B, “test the joint operational capabilities of theater command troops,” the Chinese Ministry of Defense said.

Hours later, Captain Li Xi, spokesman for the Chinese army’s eastern command, announced that the maneuvers ended “successfully.”

“We are willing to work for peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and with all our efforts,” said Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, in a statement issued after the maneuvers.

“But we will never promise to renounce the use of force and we will never give the slightest space to those who campaign for Taiwan’s independence,” he added.

The president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, promised for his part that his government “will continue to protect the democratic and free constitutional system, safeguarding national security.”

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry condemned China’s “irrational and provocative behavior” and stated that it “sent appropriate forces to respond accordingly to protect freedom and democracy and defend the sovereignty” of Taiwan. The peripheral islands of its territory are on “maximum alert,” he stressed.

The maneuvers were carried out in “areas to the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan” and were focused “on topics such as surveillance of readiness for air and maritime combat, the blockade of ports and key areas”, as well as the ” assault of sea and land targets,” explained Captain Li Xi.

The Chinese government noted that, with these maneuvers, it wanted to send a “firm warning for the separatist acts of the ‘Taiwanese independence’ forces.”

“Taiwanese independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait are two things that are totally incompatible,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“A record”

According to state media, China sent fighter jets and military ships to the maneuvers around Taiwan.

The Chinese coast guard was also sent to carry out “inspections” around the island.

Taiwan detected 125 Chinese combat aircraft, Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng, a senior official in the Ministry of Defense’s intelligence services, said at a press conference, highlighting that it is “a record for a single day.”

The United States condemned the maneuvers and described them as an “unjustified movement with a risk of escalation.”

The EU called for “restraint” on all parties involved and asked to “avoid any action that could further reinforce tensions” in the Taiwan Strait.

The maneuvers took place days after the Taiwanese president pledged in a speech to “resist Chinese annexation.”

On Monday, he held a high-level security meeting to discuss the response to the “Chinese military threat,” Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, told reporters.

Wu assured that the Chinese maneuvers are “inconsistent with international law” and that they required prior warning.

Lai, who assumed the presidency in May, spoke openly of defending Taiwanese sovereignty, which irritated Beijing, which calls him a “separatist.”

For its part, the Taiwanese coast guard announced on Monday that a Chinese citizen was arrested after a possible “intrusion” on Kinmen, an island near the Chinese city of Xiamen, but they did not link the case to the maneuvers.

China has in recent years intensified its military activity around Taiwan, sending warplanes and other military aircraft, while its ships maintain a near-constant presence in the island’s waters.

Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the democratically governed island.

“Disaster”

Lieutenant Colonel Fu Zhengnan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, indicated in a video broadcast on state television that the maneuvers can “go from training to combat at any time.”

In his speech on Thursday, President Lai pledged to “resist the annexation” of the island and insisted that Beijing and Taipei “are not subordinate to each other.”

In response, China warned the same day that Lai’s “provocations” will cause a “disaster” for its people.

Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party has defended the sovereignty and democracy of Taiwan, which has its own government, military and currency.

China has sought to eliminate Taiwan from the international stage, preventing its participation in global forums and snatching away diplomatic allies.