Beijing had promised “firm and forceful measures” in retaliation. It didn’t take long. China launched, this Saturday, April 8, three days of military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, in reaction to the meeting between the president of the island, Tsai Ing-wen, and Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the American Chamber representatives and third character of the country.
The maneuvers “serve as serious warnings against collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and outside forces, as well as their provocative activities,” a Chinese military spokesman Shi said in a statement. Yi. These operations, which also include “patrols”, are “necessary to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China”, justified this spokesperson.
Chinese military exercises launched in the Taiwan Strait aim for a “total encirclement” of the island, according to Chinese state television. “Today’s exercise focuses on the ability to take control of the sea, airspace and information […] in order to create deterrence and total encirclement” of Taiwan, CCTV said. The exact location of these operations is not known. The narrowest part of the Taiwan Strait between the Chinese coast and the island is about 130 kilometers Videos and images released by state media showed that the equipment mobilized for the exercise included destroyers, missile speedboats, fighter jets, tankers and jammers. will be held Monday in the Taiwan Strait, near the coast of Fujian (east), the province facing the island, the local maritime authorities also indicated.
These exercises, which have an “operational” dimension, are intended to demonstrate that the Chinese army will be ready, “if the provocations intensify”, to “settle once and for all the question of Taiwan”, indicated to the AFP military analyst Song Zhongping. Since Thursday, China has been stepping up pressure on the island with the dispatch of warships and aircraft to the strait. It has also reinforced the presence of its coastguards for exceptional patrols. The day after the Taiwanese president’s visit to the United States, Beijing also indicated that it would inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait. “It could lead to a confrontation,” said on Twitter Bonnie Glaser, the China and Indo-Pacific specialist at the German Marshall Fund.
“Authoritarian expansionism”
Seen from Taiwan, these maneuvers threaten “stability and security” in the Asia-Pacific region. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense says it is “monitoring the situation” and has instructed the army to “respond” to Chinese military activities. He said a total of eight warships had been detected, adding that forces on the island were “closely monitoring and responding”. The Taiwanese president, from a party that traditionally campaigns for the island’s independence, castigated Beijing’s “authoritarian expansionism” and assured that the territory “would continue to work with the United States and other countries […] to defend the values of freedom and democracy”.
On Wednesday April 5, during her visit to the United States, Tsai Ing-wen had already expressed her concern for peace while Beijing continues to hammer home its desire to invade the island, which it considers to be its own ” by force if necessary”, according to South China Morning Post. In the columns of this newspaper published in Hong Kong, this meeting is perceived as “a provocation”. The English-language media adds that Washington “is once again playing with fire in its relations with mainland China”. China sees with dissatisfaction the rapprochement at work in recent years between the Taiwanese authorities and the United States which, despite the absence of official relations, provides the island with substantial military support.
“Taiwan is delusional”
China considers Taiwan (23 million inhabitants) as one of its provinces, which it has not yet succeeded in reuniting with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. United recognized the People’s Republic of China in 1979 and should in theory have no official contact with the Republic of China (Taiwan), under the “one China principle” defended by Beijing. How far can the Chinese threat to Taiwan go? “The noose is getting ever tighter as China’s military capabilities grow. Leaders refuse to rule out conflict, which is nothing new. In reality, the answer to your question remains difficult, as one has to assess the cost-benefit ratio of a military aggression”, explained on March 11 in The Express the historian François Godement, advisor for Asia at the Institut Montaigne.
In August, Beijing launched unprecedented military maneuvers around Taiwan when Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who preceded Kevin McCarthy to roost, visited the island. The response at this stage to the meeting with the American number three has nothing to compare with the summer of 2022. The presence in China, at the same time, of the former Taiwanese president and the visit of Macron may have dampened the reaction of Chinese power.
During this visit, Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “The conversation was dense and frank” on this subject, the Elysée said on Friday. “Anyone who thinks China is going to compromise on Taiwan is delusional,” the Chinese head of state assured European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Beijing. , according to comments reported by Chinese diplomacy.