“Battle Preparation Exercise”
China launches military exercises around Taiwan
4/8/2023 5:19 am
China announces military maneuvers near the island amid tensions with Taiwan. These should last for three days. Taiwan’s President Tsai just returned from a trip to the United States a few days ago.
China begins a three-day military exercise around the island of Taiwan. This was announced by the People’s Liberation Army. The “battle preparation exercise” will be held in the Taiwan Strait, north and south of the island, and in the waters and airspace east of Taiwan until Monday, the Chinese army said. The three-day exercise is a “warning” to “separatist forces” in Taiwan.
Live fire drills are planned for Monday on the coast of Fujian province. Taipei accused Beijing of endangering regional security. The exercise comes days after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s US visit. “These operations are a serious warning about the interaction between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and external forces and their provocative activities,” said a spokesman for the Chinese army.
Taiwan: Ships and planes sighted
Taiwan’s defense ministry said three Chinese warships and 13 military aircraft had been spotted around the island in the past 24 hours. Four planes entered Taiwan’s air surveillance zone (ADIZ).
Taipei is under increasing pressure from Beijing. Since the split between China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary using military force. Taiwan President Tsai met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday. The encounter was sharply criticized by Beijing. China deployed aircraft carriers and warships to the waters around Taiwan. In August, the Chinese People’s Army held the largest military maneuvers in its history in the waters around the island in response to a visit by US leader Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.