China conducts large-scale military drills around Taiwan as island inaugurates new government

Asia-Pacific, News May 24, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

China started two-day-long military drills around the island of Taiwan on May 23, 2024, claiming it was a reaction to “separatist acts.” Heavily armed warplanes were deployed, and mock attacks were staged, while state media criticized the newly inaugurated President William Lai Ching-te.

The exercises are being conducted all around Taiwan’s main island and, for the first time, targeted the Taipei-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin near the Chinese coast, according to maps released by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The drills in the Taiwan Strait and around the Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast started just three days after Lai took oath as Taiwan’s president and called on Beijing to stop threatening the island in his inaugural speech.

According to reports, China deployed 49 military aircraft, 15 Navy vessels, and 16 coast guard ships. The PLA said its drills focused on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrols, precision strikes on key targets, and integrated operations inside and outside the island to test the “joint real combat capabilities” of its forces.

Without directly mentioning Taiwan’s new government, the PLA statement said that the drills were a “strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces.”

Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry insisted the drills were a “necessary and legitimate move” to safeguard national sovereignty. “I need to stress that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is both a fact based on history and the true status quo. This will not change in the future. Taiwan independence is doomed to fail,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

*^{China’s Type 022 Houbei class catamaran missile boat. (Image Credit: Chinese Military/Sina)}*

One part of the drills focused on overcoming a component in the east of Taiwan. Taiwan’s eastern coast, shielded by a mountain range, has long served as the island’s military stronghold. Taiwan has built much of its fortified military infrastructure along this coast, including a large underground airbase inside a mountain near Hualien. The area is also close to Japan’s southern islands and serves as a natural resupply route.

By conducting naval and air patrols east of Taiwan, China aims to demonstrate to Taipei that its eastern flank is now vulnerable to Chinese attacks. Additionally, it signals to the Americans that any efforts to resupply or reinforce Taiwan from the east are susceptible to Chinese missile strikes and naval assaults.

Taiwan’s reaction

Taiwan’s defense ministry condemned the Chinese drills and said that China’s “irrational provocation has jeopardized regional peace and stability,” the island’s Defense Ministry said. It said Taiwan will seek no conflicts but “will not shy away from one.”

Taiwan’s presidential office also expressed regret over China’s “unilateral military provocations,” stating that these actions threaten the island’s democratic freedoms as well as regional peace and stability. However, the office affirmed that Taiwan is capable of ensuring its security.

“I have confidence in the military,” Lai said at a military base in Taoyuan, near Taipei, the capital. “I also ask all my compatriots to rest assured.”

Taiwan Navy — ^{Members of Taiwan’s Navy navigate on board special operation boats during a drill part of a demonstration for the media, to show combat readiness, on the waters near a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Jan 31, 2024. (Image Credit: Reuters)}

Taiwan scrambled jets and put its missile, naval, and land units on high alert in response to Chinese military exercises conducted around the island. Taiwan’s military heightened its readiness to counter any potential threats, showcasing its determination to defend its sovereignty amidst escalating tensions with China.