China Conducts Military Drills Around Taiwan Amid Rising Tensions
China has once again flexed its military muscles by conducting drills around Taiwan involving fighter jets and warships on Monday. The aim of these exercises is to send a strong message to what Beijing considers separatist elements on the self-ruled island. This move comes after four rounds of large-scale war games in the past two years, demonstrating China’s readiness to use force to bring Taiwan under its control.
The United States has criticized China’s actions, calling them unwarranted and potentially escalatory. Washington has urged Beijing to exercise restraint in its military maneuvers around Taiwan.
In response to the drills, Taiwan has denounced the exercises as irrational and provocative. The Taiwanese defense ministry has confirmed that appropriate forces have been deployed to respond to any hostile situations. Outlying islands under Taiwanese administration are on high alert and ready to implement engagement rules if necessary.
President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, has been vocal in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, much to Beijing’s displeasure. China has accused Lai of promoting separatism, further straining relations between the two sides.
According to Captain Li Xi, a Chinese military spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command, the Joint Sword-2024B drills are aimed at testing the joint operations capabilities of the theatre command’s troops. These exercises involve sea-air combat-readiness patrols, blockades of key ports and areas, as well as assaults on maritime and ground targets in various locations around Taiwan.
China has significantly increased its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, with frequent deployments of warplanes and other military assets near the island’s waters.
In response to the latest military drills, President Lai Ching-te has convened a high-level security meeting, reaffirming Taiwan’s commitment to protecting its democratic way of life. Lai has vowed to resist any attempts at annexation and emphasized that Beijing and Taipei are two separate entities that are not subordinate to each other.
The longstanding dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to the civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist fighters, leading to the retreat of the nationalists to Taiwan. Since then, China and Taiwan have been governed separately, with tensions between the two sides persisting to this day.
