Amid heightened tensions, China has started a three-day military exercise around the island of Taiwan. A spokesman for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said it was a “serious warning” to “separatist forces” in Taiwan. For the military exercise planned until Monday, among other things, bomber planes and rocket boats were mobilized.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, 42 warplanes and eight warships are registered around the island. 29 aircraft had penetrated Taiwan’s air defense zone (“Air Defense Identification Zone”). This is a buffer zone between the island nation and the People’s Republic of China.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which is responsible for relations with Beijing, has harshly criticized China’s announced military exercises. These would “undermine peace and stability in the region,” it said in a statement on Saturday. The government is determined to defend national sovereignty and democracy and continue to work closely with like-minded democratic countries.
It was only on Wednesday (local time) that Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for talks. The encounter in California was the first of its kind on US soil. Tsai thanked the United States for their continued support. Referring to China, she said, “We are once again in a world where democracy is under threat.”
Regular threats from Beijing
The Chinese government, on the other hand, spoke of “outrageous misconduct” and viewed the high-level meeting as a serious provocation. In protest, China sanctioned the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, where Tsai and McCarthy met on Wednesday.
The communist leadership in Beijing regards the democratically governed island of Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and is trying to politically isolate the 23 million inhabitants. Beijing also regularly threatens to want to conquer Taiwan with military means if necessary. At a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping reiterated his claim to power on the island: “To expect China to be willing to compromise on the Taiwan question is just wishful thinking. Anyone who does that will just shoot yourself in the foot.”
A visit to Taiwan by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, in August had led to a serious crisis. At that time, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army simulated a military island blockade.
The Taiwan conflict is a key issue between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. Washington has committed to Taiwan’s defense capability, which includes arms supplies. Observers fear the dispute could potentially spark a military confrontation between the two world powers.
