China ended two days of military drills around Taiwan, simulating bomber attacks and practicing ship boardings, which Taiwan on Saturday denounced as a “blatant provocation” and detailed reinforcements from Chinese warplanes and warships.
Chinese state television’s Military Channel said late on Friday that the drills had ended. A commentary in the official People’s Liberation Army Daily said the event lasted for two days, from Thursday to Friday, as previously announced.
China’s Defense Ministry did not return calls seeking comment on Saturday.
China, which claims democratic governance over Taiwan, launched the “United Sword-2024A” exercise three days after Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing described as a “separatist,” took office as Taiwan’s president.
Beijing said the drills were “punishment” for Lai’s inauguration speech on Monday, in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were “not affiliated with each other,” which China viewed as a declaration that the two countries were different countries.
Jimmy Lai has repeatedly proposed talks with China, but has been rejected. He said only the people of Taiwan can decide their future and rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Taiwan’s government has condemned the drills, saying it would not be intimidated by Chinese pressure.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it spotted 62 Chinese military aircraft and 27 naval vessels on Friday, including 46 aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait’s midline, which previously served as an informal barrier between the two sides.
The Defense Ministry said Chinese aircraft, including advanced Su-30 fighter jets and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flew through the strait as well as the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
On Friday, it released footage of a Chinese J-16 fighter jet and an H-6 taken by a Taiwanese air force aircraft, without specifying where the footage was taken.
Taiwan’s presidential office said on Saturday that China’s military actions undermined the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The statement said that these actions “are also a blatant provocation to the international order and have aroused serious concern and condemnation from the international community.”
The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Army, which is conducting the exercise, posted a video on its social media account on Saturday, titled “Smashing the Six-Character Rhyme of Independence,” with passionate military music playing.
The words “Advance, Encircle, Blockade, Attack, Destroy, Cut” flash across footage of fighter jets, bombers, soldiers and animated missiles simulating attacks on Taiwan.
Over the past four years, China has regularly held military activities around Taiwan, including large-scale military exercises in 2022 and 2023.
However, Wang Dingyu, a senior Taiwan lawmaker from Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party, said the latest drills seemed more about China making noise than raising the stakes, given that China had to respond to Lai’s speech.
“They are more restrained than before,” Wang, chairman of the parliament’s defense and foreign affairs committee, said on social media.
Still, China continues to abuse Lai. The PLA Daily, published under the name “Voice of the Army,” commented that Jimmy Lai is determined to act as a “chess piece” for external forces to contain China’s development.
If the Taiwan independence separatist forces insist on going their own way or even take risks, the People’s Liberation Army will obey orders and act decisively to resolutely crush all separatist plots.
About The Author
