The Chinese army began, Saturday April 8, with an exercise “total encirclement” from Taiwan in the strait of the same name; these military maneuvers must continue until Monday. “Today’s exercise focuses on the ability to take control of the sea, airspace and information (…) in order to create a deterrent and a total encirclement” Taiwan, Chinese state television said on Saturday after the army announced these operations.
Live-fire exercises will be held on Monday in the Taiwan Strait near the coast of Fujian (East), the province facing the island, local maritime authorities also said.
Warships and fighter planes mobilized
At the start of the operations, the Taiwan Ministry of Defense said it had detected the presence around the island of thirteen aircraft and three Chinese military ships. At 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Paris time), the armada consisted of nine ships and seventy-one military aircraft that crossed the median line that separates China from Taiwan, according to the ministry, which denounced of the “irrational actions”.
The means mobilized include warships, fast missile launchers, fighter planes, tankers and jammers. These operations, which also include “patrols”are “necessary to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, justified Beijing. The exact location of these drills is not known. The narrowest part between the Chinese coast and the island is about 130 kilometers wide.
President Tsai denounces Chinese “expansionism”
These exercises follow a meeting held Wednesday in the United States between the speaker of the American House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, and the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen. She denounced the“authoritarian expansionism” of China, and assured that the island “would continue to work with the United States and other countries (…) to defend the values of freedom and democracy”.
By Beijing’s own admission, these maneuvers “serve as serious warnings against collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and outside forces, as well as their provocative activities”, justified, in a press release, a spokesperson for the Chinese army, Shi Yi. The Chinese power had promised “firm and energetic measures”after this interview.
China has “used President Tsai’s visit” in the USA “as an excuse to conduct military exercises, which seriously undermined peace, stability and security in the region”denounced, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.
For its part, the United States called on China to show restraint, stressing that Washington was ready to respect its security commitments in Asia. “Our communication channels with the People’s Republic of China remain open and we have always called for restraint and not to change the status quo”a State Department spokesperson said. “We are confident that we have sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and stability”he also said, adding that the United States was following “up close to China’s actions”.
Diplomatically isolate Taipei
China views with displeasure the rapprochement 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.
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Beijing considers the island of Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, to be one of its provinces, which it has yet to successfully reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War. . Ended in 1949, the conflict pitted the Communists, who finally took power in mainland China, against the Nationalist army, forced to retreat to the island.
Chinese authorities have sought to diplomatically isolate Taipei since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016 because she is a member of a party that traditionally campaigns for independence – an absolute red line for Beijing.
‘Anyone who thinks China is going to compromise on Taiwan is kidding themselves’Chinese President Xi Jinping assured European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday during a meeting in Beijing, according to comments reported by Chinese diplomacy.
In August, Beijing launched unprecedented military maneuvers around Taiwan when Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who preceded Mr McCarthy to the House of Representatives roost, visited the island. The response at this point to the meeting with the American number three has nothing to compare with the summer of 2022.