In accordance with its plans, Beijing is continuing its military exercises around Taiwan. Chinese warships and fighter planes circled the autonomous island on Friday, May 24, for the second day in a row.
These maneuvers, called “United Sword 2024A”, come after the swearing-in on Monday of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, whose inauguration speech was perceived by China as an “admission of Taiwan’s independence “. Started Thursday morning, they involve the army, the navy, the air force and the rocket unit. They are due to last until Friday inclusive but analysts warn that they could be extended or renewed soon.
Their goal is to verify the “capability of seizing power and joint strikes, as well as controlling key territories,” Li Xi, a spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, said Friday. Beijing presented these military exercises on Thursday as “severe punishment” against the “separatists” of the island who will end “in blood”.
Videos released by the Chinese military on Friday showed soldiers running out of a building to their combat posts and fighter jets taking off to the sound of military music. According to state television CCTV, Chinese naval officers called on their Taiwanese counterparts not to “resist reunification by force.”
Entry into “forbidden waters”
An animated Chinese military graphic showed missiles raining down on key targets to the north, south and east of the island, with a message claiming it would “cut the blood vessels of the ‘Taiwan independence’.
Four Chinese coast guard vessels entered the “forbidden waters” of two Taiwanese islands on Friday, Taipei said. “This is the eighth time this month that Chinese coast guard vessels have sailed in prohibited waters,” said the Taiwanese coast guard, which “urged China to exercise restraint and immediately cease his irrational behavior.”
Taiwan “will defend the values of freedom and democracy,” promised Thursday Mr. Lai, described by Beijing as a “dangerous separatist” for his past declarations in favor of the independence of the island, even if he has since moderated his speech. “I will stand on the front lines with our brothers and sisters in the army to defend national security together,” he assured.
China considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces, which it has not yet succeeded in reunifying with its territory since the end of the civil war and the coming to power of the communists in 1949. For several years, Beijing has intensified its threats and political, economic and military pressure on Taiwan.
These maneuvers constitute a “severe punishment for the separatist acts of the “Taiwan independence” forces and a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces,” Li Xi said on Thursday. They take place “in the Taiwan Strait, to the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan, as well as in areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin” – close to the coast is Chinese – he clarified.
Washington calls on China to “restrain”
The UN has called on all parties to “refrain from any action that could escalate tensions” and in Washington, a senior official who requested anonymity said the United States was “monitoring very closely” the situation and called on China to “restrain.”
The People’s Republic of China says it favors “peaceful” reunification with the island territory of 23 million inhabitants, but does not rule out using force.
During his swearing-in on Monday, Lai Ching-te called on China to “cease its political and military intimidation.” Taiwanese separatists “will be pilloried of shame for history,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reacted the next day.
On Friday, the official Xinhua news agency and the Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, published editorials praising the military maneuvers, lambasting Mr. Lai’s “perfidious behavior” and promising to deal him “a blow.” severe “.
The previous large-scale Chinese military exercises around Taiwan took place in August 2023 after a visit by Mr. Lai, then vice-president, to the United States. Beijing also launched maneuvers of historic proportions in August 2022 after the visit to the island of Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the American House of Representatives.