Fuzhou/Taipei: China begins three-day military exercise Taiwan Expressed anger on the President of Taiwan on Saturday Sai Ing-wen’s meeting with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, as the island’s Defense Ministry said it would respond peacefully.
The exercise, announced the day after Tsai’s return from the United States, was widely expected after China met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles to condemn it.
China regards democratically-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. The government of Taiwan strongly opposes China’s claims.
Beijing’s announcement also came hours after China hosted a visit by senior European leaders.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said it had begun combat readiness patrols and “combined sword” exercises around Taiwan, previously saying it would deploy them in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”. “Will organize. ,
“This is a solemn warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces, and it is a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a brief statement.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it was monitoring the situation, maintaining a high level of vigilance and would respond appropriately to protect the island’s security.
In a statement, the ministry said China was using Tsai’s visit to the US “as a pretext to conduct military exercises, which seriously harmed regional peace, stability and security.”
“The army will respond with a calm, rational and serious attitude, and will guard and monitor in accordance with the principles of ‘neither conflict nor conflict’ to safeguard national sovereignty and national security.”
‘Harassment’ and ‘Squeeze’
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that China is likely to increase its air and sea patrols in an effort to “harass” Taiwan’s air defense zone and “squeeze” it closer to the middle line of the Taiwan Strait. which works normally. as an informal barrier between the two.
The situation was “predictable” and manageable, and Taiwan’s government has rehearsed various scenarios for its response, the person said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The ministry said earlier on Saturday that it had spotted four Chinese aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense zone in the past 24 hours, not an unusual number.
Reuters reporters in a seaside area near Fuzhou, which sits opposite the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, saw a Chinese warship firing shells at a drill area off China’s coast, part of exercises announced by China late Friday .
Tsai will meet a delegation of US lawmakers led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul later on Saturday.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary on Saturday that the government has “a strong ability to thwart any form of Taiwan independence secession”.
“All countermeasures taken by the Chinese government are related to China’s legitimate and legal right to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with China, but has been rebuffed by the government, which views her as a separatist. They say that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
diplomacy and practice
China had threatened unspecified retaliation if the meeting with McCarthy – second in line for the US presidential successor after the vice president – were to take place. Beijing staged war games around Taiwan, including live-fire missile launches, after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August.
However, unlike in August, China has not yet announced whether it will also hold missile drills. In a previous instance, China published a map at the time of the announcement of the exercise, showing which maritime zones near Taiwan would be firing.
Taiwanese officials had expected a less severe reaction to McCarthy’s meeting, given that it took place in the United States, but said they could not rule out the possibility of further drills by China.
China’s announcement came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron left China, where he met with President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders. Macron urged Beijing to talk sense with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also visited Xi in China this week, saying stability in the Taiwan Strait is paramount.
According to China’s official reading of the meeting, Xi responded by saying that expecting China to reach an agreement on Taiwan was “wishful thinking”.
China’s Ministry of Defense featured pictures of Xi meeting Macron and von der Leyen on its home page, as well as announcing drills around Taiwan.
A Taiwanese security source said China’s recent efforts to woo foreign leaders after the announcement of the drills went in vain.
“After the announcement of the exercise in the strait, all those efforts disappeared overnight and became a wasted effort.”
The exercise, announced the day after Tsai’s return from the United States, was widely expected after China met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles to condemn it.
China regards democratically-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. The government of Taiwan strongly opposes China’s claims.
Beijing’s announcement also came hours after China hosted a visit by senior European leaders.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said it had begun combat readiness patrols and “combined sword” exercises around Taiwan, previously saying it would deploy them in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”. “Will organize. ,
“This is a solemn warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces, and it is a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a brief statement.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it was monitoring the situation, maintaining a high level of vigilance and would respond appropriately to protect the island’s security.
In a statement, the ministry said China was using Tsai’s visit to the US “as a pretext to conduct military exercises, which seriously harmed regional peace, stability and security.”
“The army will respond with a calm, rational and serious attitude, and will guard and monitor in accordance with the principles of ‘neither conflict nor conflict’ to safeguard national sovereignty and national security.”
‘Harassment’ and ‘Squeeze’
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that China is likely to increase its air and sea patrols in an effort to “harass” Taiwan’s air defense zone and “squeeze” it closer to the middle line of the Taiwan Strait. which works normally. as an informal barrier between the two.
The situation was “predictable” and manageable, and Taiwan’s government has rehearsed various scenarios for its response, the person said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The ministry said earlier on Saturday that it had spotted four Chinese aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense zone in the past 24 hours, not an unusual number.
Reuters reporters in a seaside area near Fuzhou, which sits opposite the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, saw a Chinese warship firing shells at a drill area off China’s coast, part of exercises announced by China late Friday .
Tsai will meet a delegation of US lawmakers led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul later on Saturday.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary on Saturday that the government has “a strong ability to thwart any form of Taiwan independence secession”.
“All countermeasures taken by the Chinese government are related to China’s legitimate and legal right to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with China, but has been rebuffed by the government, which views her as a separatist. They say that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
diplomacy and practice
China had threatened unspecified retaliation if the meeting with McCarthy – second in line for the US presidential successor after the vice president – were to take place. Beijing staged war games around Taiwan, including live-fire missile launches, after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August.
However, unlike in August, China has not yet announced whether it will also hold missile drills. In a previous instance, China published a map at the time of the announcement of the exercise, showing which maritime zones near Taiwan would be firing.
Taiwanese officials had expected a less severe reaction to McCarthy’s meeting, given that it took place in the United States, but said they could not rule out the possibility of further drills by China.
China’s announcement came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron left China, where he met with President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders. Macron urged Beijing to talk sense with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also visited Xi in China this week, saying stability in the Taiwan Strait is paramount.
According to China’s official reading of the meeting, Xi responded by saying that expecting China to reach an agreement on Taiwan was “wishful thinking”.
China’s Ministry of Defense featured pictures of Xi meeting Macron and von der Leyen on its home page, as well as announcing drills around Taiwan.
A Taiwanese security source said China’s recent efforts to woo foreign leaders after the announcement of the drills went in vain.
“After the announcement of the exercise in the strait, all those efforts disappeared overnight and became a wasted effort.”