China is responding to US politician Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan with a major military maneuver. Instead of ending the military exercises as planned, Beijing continued them without further ado. Taipei is now responding in the same way.
Contrary to previous announcements, China continued its military exercises in front of Taiwan at the beginning of the week. According to the military’s eastern command, the Chinese army continued to conduct “practical exercises and training in the sea and airspace around the island of Taiwan.”
Beijing had actually announced that it wanted to end the exercises that began after US politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei on Sunday. Taiwan condemned the continuation. The focus was “on the organization of joint anti-submarine and sea attack operations,” the eastern command said. Beijing also planned target practice in the South China Sea and Yellow Sea on Monday.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman called the ongoing maneuvers “steadfast and forceful” behavior and an “appropriate” response to US “provocation”. China will resolutely shatter the “illusion of the Taiwanese authorities that they can gain independence thanks to the United States”.
According to Beijing’s announcement, the maneuvers should have ended on Sunday afternoon. However, neither China nor Taiwan had confirmed their termination. On Monday, Taiwan condemned renewed maneuvers by Chinese forces. “China’s provocations and aggression have disrupted the status quo in the Taiwan Straits and increased tensions in the region,” the Taipei Foreign Ministry said. According to the government, no planes or ships entered Taiwan’s territorial waters this time.
Taiwan itself had announced drills by its land forces for this week. According to the Taiwanese military, these will be held on Tuesday and Thursday in Pingtung, the island’s southernmost county.
The Taiwanese army will “practice countermeasures against simulated enemy attacks on Taiwan,” a spokesman for the armed forces told AFP. Hundreds of soldiers and around 40 howitzers would be used. The exercises had been planned for a long time and were not a reaction to China’s maneuvers. Taiwan regularly holds maneuvers simulating a Chinese invasion. In July, the Taiwanese military practiced countering attacks from the sea in a “joint intercept operation” as part of its largest annual drill.
The drills by the Chinese army off Taiwan began last Thursday after US House Speaker Pelosi left Taiwan. They were the most extensive maneuvers in history. Beijing deployed fighter jets, warships, drones and ballistic missiles. According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, ballistic missiles also flew over Taiwan for the first time.
Since Taiwan split from China, Beijing has wanted to reunite the island with the mainland – if necessary using military force. The conflict between Beijing and Taipei had recently intensified under Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has also fueled fears that Beijing could use a similar approach when dealing with Taiwan.
