The independence of the island of Taiwan and peace in the Taiwan Strait are mutually exclusive issues, China claims on the third day of its military exercises.
The comments were made by a representative of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin. According to him, in order to defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, China must firmly oppose Taiwan’s independence in all its forms. In his statement, Wang is talking exactly about Taiwan’s independence separatism.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Monday that it had detected 59 Chinese military aircraft and 11 warships near Taiwan.
In addition, 39 Chinese aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s air defense zone, the Ministry of Defense said, according to news agency Reuters and AFP.
China has been training in the Taiwan Strait since Saturday in its large-scale military exercises, including the blockade of Taiwan.
China says it is simulating the isolation of Taiwan
The Chinese armed forces have said that they simulated the isolation of the island of Taiwan in their military exercises today. China’s state media CCTV reported that dozens of aircraft had practiced an air blockade. In the previous days of the three-day military drills, China has said it is already practicing to block the island.
According to CCTV, China’s fighter jets have carried heavy stakes today and carried out simulated strikes near Taiwan. These show illustrated attacks on important targets located in Taiwan. According to the Chinese armed forces, the aircraft carrier Shandong, which was already in the vicinity of Taiwan on Wednesday, has participated in today’s exercises.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense also reported the movement of the Chinese Shandong aircraft carrier near the island of Okinawa on Sunday. Japan says it has sent fighter jets to monitor a Chinese aircraft carrier south of the island.
Some of the islands belonging to Japan extend very close to the island of Taiwan.
It is somewhat unclear what China means when it talks about isolating Taiwan and simulating strikes, and it was not immediately clear, for example, whether fighter jets had also fired heavily in the area. However, it has been previously reported that fire-use exercises would be organized on the coast of China’s Fujian province as part of the military exercises on Monday.
According to Saturday’s information, the use of fire was to be practiced about 80 kilometers from Taiwan’s Matsu Islands and about 190 kilometers from Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.
A US Navy missile destroyer cruised in Chinese territories
The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Milius has been sailing in the South China Sea in waters that China claims as its own, the US Navy says.
According to the navy, the movement is an operation aimed at freedom of navigation, which, according to it, defends rights, freedoms and the legal use of the sea.
China commented on the US actions shortly after the navy’s announcement, saying the warship’s actions were an illegal intrusion.
The US ship was moving in an area about 1,300 kilometers from the vicinity of the democratically-ruled island of Taiwan, where China has been holding military exercises since Saturday.
“We just want to live a peaceful life”
The island of Taiwan lives under the constant threat of attack. China considers the democratically governed island as its own rebel province, which it is ready to return to itself with military force if necessary.
China said again on Friday that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and Taiwan’s future lies in reunification with China.
On Beigan Island, part of Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, within sight of mainland China, a 60-year-old chef Lin Ke-Qiang told AFP that he simply does not want war.
– We ordinary people just want to live a peaceful and stable life, Lin said. Lin also estimates that Taiwan’s armed forces cannot compete with China’s armed forces.
– If war happens now that their missiles are so advanced, there is no chance that our side could oppose them, he said and estimated that Taiwan would be razed to the ground.
A US Navy missile destroyer cruised in Chinese territories
The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Milius has been sailing in the South China Sea in waters that China claims as its own, the US Navy says.
According to the navy, the movement is an operation aimed at freedom of navigation, which, according to it, defends rights, freedoms and the legal use of the sea.
China commented on the US actions shortly after the navy’s announcement, saying the warship’s actions were an illegal intrusion.
The US ship was moving in an area about 1,300 kilometers from the vicinity of the democratically-ruled island of Taiwan, where China has been holding military exercises since Saturday.
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