The goal is stated to be to practice combat readiness. According to Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Chinese military, the exercise is a sharp warning to the “separatist forces seeking Taiwan’s independence” and also to “external forces and their provocative activities”.
Just hours after the military exercise was announced, China on Saturday morning sent about a dozen warplanes and eight warships towards Taiwan, at least 29 of the planes are to The Guardian having crossed the border in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this week. The meeting has angered China, which sees Taiwan as part of Mainland China and any communication between the US and Taiwan as a provocation.
The Ministry of Defense in Taipei said in a statement that China’s military exercise threatens the security and stability of the region.
According to the statement, China has “used President Tsai’s visit to the United States as an excuse to conduct military exercises that seriously threaten the peace, stability and security of the region.”