A furious China launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to “separatist acts”, sending up heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te.
The exercises, in the Taiwan Strait and around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands that sit next to the Chinese coast, come just three days after Lai took office, a man Beijing detests as a “separatist”.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai’s inauguration speech on Monday, in which he called on China to stop its threats and said the two sides of the strait were “not subordinate to each other”.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Lai “disgraceful”.
Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it had started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force, in areas around Taiwan at 7:45 a.m. (2345 GMT).
The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, the command said in a statement, the first time China’s exercises have included areas round these islands.
Chinese state media said China sent out dozens of fighter jets carrying live missiles, and conducted mock strikes, along with warships, of high-value military targets.
The drills, dubbed “Joint Sword – 2024A”, are scheduled to last for two days. However, unlike a similar “Joint Sword” exercise in April last year, these drills are tagged “A”, opening the door to potential follow-ups.
Taiwan’s defence ministry condemned the drills, saying that it had dispatched forces to areas around the island, that its air defences and land-based missile forces were tracking targets, and that it was confident it could protect its territory.
“The launch of military exercises on this occasion not only does not contribute to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, it also highlights (China’s) militaristic mentality,” the ministry said.
Taiwan’s presidential office expressed regret that China was threatening the island’s democratic freedoms and regional peace and stability with its “unilateral military provocations”, but said people could rest assured Taiwan could ensure its security.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV said Lai’s inauguration speech was “extremely harmful” and China’s countermeasures are “legitimate, legal and necessary”.
Lai’s speech was a confession of a desire for Taiwan independence and undermined peace and stability across the strait, it said.
Taiwan’s future can only be decided by China’s 1.4 billion people, not just Taiwan’s 23 million people, it added.
China’s military has over the past four years carried out almost daily activities near Taiwan. China last staged large-scale war games near Taiwan in 2023 and 2022.
One senior Taiwanese official, speaking anonymously given the sensitivity of the matter, said this time around China was essentially “putting a name” on its regular activities, rather than a dramatic escalation.
Those drills include crossing strait’s median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier, and staging mock attacks on Taiwanese and foreign vessels, the official added.
One senior Taiwanese official, speaking anonymously given the sensitivity of the matter, said this time around China was essentially “putting a name” on its regular activities, rather than a dramatic escalation.
Those drills include crossing strait’s median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier, and staging mock attacks on Taiwanese and foreign vessels, the official added.
