Both China and Taiwan have held further drills in a sign of ongoing tensions. The Chinese military continued its “combat-oriented” drills, which have been going on for days, on Tuesday, Chinese state media reported.
Against the background of military pressure from China, Taiwan also began its own maneuvers on Tuesday, which had been announced for a long time. Live ammunition was fired during the artillery exercise on the Taiwanese coast, Taiwanese television reported.
The maneuver was therefore held near an area that the Chinese had also declared as an exercise zone in the past few days. The Taiwanese maneuver had already been announced in July, even before the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, traveled to Taipei last week against Beijing’s opposition.
Rehearsed possible conquest of the island
The Chinese leadership rejects such official contacts from other countries to Taiwan because they see the island as part of the People’s Republic. On the other hand, Taiwan has long seen itself as independent. With its ongoing maneuvers since last week, the People’s Liberation Army has not only practiced a sea and air blockade, but also a possible conquest of the island. Some Chinese commentators suggested that the military drills are happening regularly and could become a new normal.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu condemned the escalation of Chinese maneuvers near Taiwan. “China’s real intention behind these military drills is to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the wider region,” Wu said Tuesday. The large-scale military exercises, rocket launches and cyber attacks also aim to weaken public morale on the island.
