Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan
China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and rocket troops to conduct joint military drills around the island of Taiwan, a move Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing its forces on alert and called the Chinese Government “the biggest destroyer of peace.”
Later in the day, Taiwan’s aviation authority said more than 100,000 international air travellers would be affected by flight cancellations or diversions because of the drills. The first of two days of drills came after Beijing expressed anger at US arms sales to the territory and a statement by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi,
saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that the world’s second-biggest economy says must come under its rule. The Chinese military did not mention the United States and Japan in its statement on Monday morning.
Taiwan condemns military drill Taiwan on Monday condemned China’s joint military drills around the island, disregarding international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Monday said in a post on X that rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert to defend the island In a separate statement, it said it had deployed appropriate forces in response, conducting combat readiness drills. “The Chinese Communist Party’s targeted military exercises further confirm its nature as an aggressor and the biggest destroyer of peace,” the ministry said.
Monday’s drills heightened tensions on both sides. Karen Kuo, spokesperson for the Taiwanese president’s office, said the operation was undermining the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region and openly challenging international law and order.
“Our country strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for disregarding international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries.” she said. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry released a video that featured its weapons and forces in a show of resilience. Multiple French Mirage-2000 aircraft conducted landings at an air force base.
Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a near-daily basis, and in recent years it has stepped up the scope and scale of these exercises. In October, the Taiwanese Government said it would accelerate the building of a “Taiwan Shield” or “T-Dome” air defense system in the face of the military threat from China.
The military tensions came a day after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said he hoped the Taiwan Strait would be associated with peace and prosperity, instead of “crashing waves and howling winds,” during a trip to Shanghai.
