Shi Yi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, said the exercises involved naval, air ground and rocket forces, which were originally a “serious warning and strong containment” of Taiwan’s independence. No operation name for the exercise was announced, and no previous notice was issued.
China believes that Taiwan is part of its territory and will be controlled by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese agree on their de facto independence and democratic status. Any conflict can bring the United States, which remains a coalition in the region and will certainly treat the threat to Taiwan legally because of “serious concerns.”
Taiwan’s presidential office posted on X “China’s blatant provocation not only threatens peace in the #Taiwan Strait, but also undermines the security of the entire region as evidenced by exercises near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, the Philippines and the SCS. We strongly condemn China’s escalation.”
SC is the guide to the China Sea, which is almost all the strategic and controversial waterways that China claims. China’s navy also recently held exercises near Australia and New Zealand without warning, forcing commercial flights to reroute at the last minute.
Taiwan tracks Chinese naval vessels in Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it tracked 19 Chinese naval vessels on the island within 24 hours from Monday to Tuesday at 6 a.m. It added that the Shandong Airlines Carrier Group has entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, a custom area tracked by the military.
Beijing sends fighter jets and naval ships to the island every day, and in recent years it has strengthened the scope and scale of these exercises. Taiwanese officials recently warned that China could launch sneak attacks under the guise of military exercises.
“What I want to say is that these actions fully reflect the destruction of regional peace and stability (China) by[China],” said Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo.
Koo said Taiwan has set up a central response team to monitor the latest exercises.
People say the atmosphere is tense on the streets of Taipei, but they are more concerned about the economy and development surrounding the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“The Chinese Communist Party has spent a lot of time and energy on these things, but most people have not attracted much attention.”
China’s Xinhua News Agency said the Eastern Theater Command “has conducted multi-themed drills in the waters of the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.”
The Theater Command “coordinated with traditional missile forces and long-range rocket launch systems for air interception training, attacks on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockades and controls,” the order said.
The commander said the purpose of these exercises was to test the troops’ ability to conduct integrated operations, seize operational controls and multi-directional precision strikes.
“The PLA organized the navy and air force to practice topics such as maritime and land strikes, focusing on testing the troops’ ability to conduct precise strikes against the Taiwan authorities in multiple directions,” Zhang Qi, a professor at the National Defense University of China, said in an interview with China’s state television.
Beijing sent a message to the Taiwan President’s Office of Taiwan Affairs saying the exercises were directed at the President Ray Qi, who strongly supported independence.
“Rice stubbornly adhered to the ‘Taiwan independence’ position, boldly labeled the mainland as ‘foreign hostile forces’ and proposed a so-called “17-point strategy” … inspired anti-China sentiment,” the China Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. “We will not endure or tolerate this in any way and must resolutely fight back and severely punish these actions. ”
In mid-March, Taiwan’s LAI proposed a 17-point strategy aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s security. These points include allowing military courts to try espionage cases and making stricter immigration rules for Chinese citizens applying for permanent residence.
China’s PLA has also released a series of videos to promote their military exercises, including their portrayal of Lai as a green parasite that “poisoned” the island by hatching smaller parasites. The video shows Lai’s head on the body of a bulb green worm, and a pair of chopsticks pick him up and roast him with the flames from Taiwan.
The United States said China’s actions will only exacerbate tensions.
“Once again, China’s aggressive military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk. In the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “The United States supports peace and stability throughout the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including through force or coercion.”
Taiwan and China split in the civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have intensified since China cut off almost all contact with Taipei in 2016.
The Philippines should be ready to rescue its citizens in the Philippines, Military Director Romeo Brawner Jr.
“If something happens in Taiwan, we will inevitably be involved. Taiwan has 250,000 overseas Filipino workers and we will have to rescue them,” said Brauner.
