China appears to be timing the military show of force to coincide with Taiwan’s leadership meeting with high-ranking US representatives.
12:52•Updated 12:57
Taiwan has said that it detected eight Chinese warships and 42 destroyers near the country’s borders during Saturday morning.
China is training to blockade the island of Taiwan in the military exercises it started in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, according to the country’s state media CCTV. The BBC has also reported on the exercises (switch to another service).
– The combat division will organize patrols and advance around the island of Taiwan and form a comprehensive encirclement and deterrence, CCTV said.
At the same time, the state media listed, among others, navy fighters, missile boats, air force fighters and bombers participating in the exercises.
The exercises last three days
The Chinese armed forces already said in a press release that the three-day military exercises, which will last until Monday, will also extend to the north, south and east of Taiwan, but the exact location of the exercises was not disclosed.
– These operations are a serious warning about the cooperation between the separatist forces and outside forces seeking “Taiwan independence” and their provocative actions, Chinese Armed Forces Spokesman Shi Yi commented in a statement carried by China’s state news agency Xinhua.
China announced the drills after Pres Tsai Ing-wen met the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, in California on Wednesday.
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.
Taiwan’s President Tsai immediately condemned China’s military exercises and said she would cooperate with the United States and other like-minded countries in the face of China’s continued authoritarian expansionist policy.
Taiwan: China uses Tsai’s US visit as an excuse
Taiwan has said that after China’s announcement, it spotted eight Chinese warships and 42 destroyers near the country’s borders on Saturday morning.
According to the country’s Ministry of Defense, 29 Chinese fighter jets had flown into Taiwan’s air defense detection zone. Earlier this year, so many Chinese fighter jets were not seen in Taiwan’s detection zone in one day.
The detection zone is an area larger than Taiwan’s airspace and partially overlaps with China’s own air defense detection zone.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said the military exercises initiated by China threaten regional stability and security. According to a press release from the Ministry of Defense, China has used Tsai’s visit to the United States as an excuse to start military exercises.
There were no immediate signs of increased military activity on the Pingtan island off the Chinese mainland on Saturday. Located in Fujian province, Pingtan is geographically the closest to Taiwan among the regions connected to mainland China.
A handful of cargo ships sailed off the coast on Saturday, while tourists decked out in caps and sunglasses snapped selfies from the viewing platforms.
On Monday, however, China is scheduled to hold fire drills off the coast of Fujian. The local maritime authority has warned ships that they should not move in the vicinity of the exercises at that time.
China also bubbled last August
Last August, China sent warships, missiles and fighter jets around Taiwan after McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. At that time, it was estimated that China’s show of force was the largest in years. The military exercises in August lasted about a week, and even then China practically blockaded Taiwan.
On Wednesday, just hours before McCarthy and Tsai met, China sent one of its aircraft carriers through waters southeast of Taiwan toward the western Pacific.
Minister of Defense of Taiwan Chiu Kuo-cheng estimated at the time that the arrival of the aircraft carrier might mean that China is preparing for new military exercises in the waters near Taiwan.
China commented on Friday after the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and Taiwan’s future lies in reunification with China.
Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping has said the drills are meant to demonstrate that China’s armed forces are ready to settle the Taiwan issue once and for all if provocations intensify.
STT, AP, Reuters