China has commenced a new series of military drills off the coast of Taiwan, termed as “punishment” for recent remarks by Taiwan’s President William Lai. During the National Day ceremony in Taiwan, Lai made commitments to resist annexation and uphold the sovereignty of the island, eliciting immediate condemnation from Beijing, which regards Taiwan as its territory.
Details of the Drill:
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, 34 naval vessels and 125 aircraft deployed by the People’s Liberation Army were found around Taiwan in formations. These formations surrounded the island, since maps published by Chinese state media showed Chinese forces on all sides of Taiwan.
The military exercises, known as Joint Sword 2024-B, ended Monday. The drills involved all three components of the People’s Liberation Army: land, air, and sea forces. The exercise simulated attacking Taiwan from multiple fronts, testing the PLA’s “integrated joint operation capabilities,” according to Senior Captain Li Xi, who is the spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command.
Taiwan concurred and responded that airports and ports functioning during the drills. Outlying islands are placed under alert, and the defense ministry warned that the intent is not to seek military confrontation directly to aggravate the situation.
Response from U.S.
Beijing justified the maneuvers by saying that Taiwanese independence was “incompatible with peace in the region,” and that Taiwan’s recent actions and statements had contributed to the escalation of the situation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry further confirmed that simulations of military assaults and port blockades had been included in the drills.
The U.S. condemned the exercises, calling them an “unjustified escalation and urged China to “stop further destabilizing measures.” The State Department again emphasized that President Lai’s address was a “routine declaration of Taiwan’s sovereignty” and that the Chinese reaction has “only worsened the situation.”
Background and Wider Context:
China has militarily intimidated Taiwan more than ever in the past two years, conducting exercises in the area and steadily penetrating Taiwan’s airspace with Chinese fighter jets. The rhetoric of Beijing towards Taiwan has also become sharper since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence at heart Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took up the presidency of Taiwan.
Fresh drills: Joint Sword 2024-B:
The latest drills come after an initial series of exercises (Joint Sword 2024-A) in May, at the time the president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-teh was sworn in. Chinese state media said that were the largest military exercises China has ever held near Taiwan.
Yet another point of contention has been the relations between Beijing and Washington and Taiwan. After Speaker Pelosi went to Taipei in August 2022, confrontation increased between Beijing and Washington, with strong reactions by China against the visit of Pelosi, who Beijing says came close to the position of giving recognition to Taiwan’s government. In retaliation, for the first time, ballistic missiles have been sent over the island.
Taiwan’s Position:
Taiwan has remained adamant that it needs peace and stability in the region but claims that its leaders have been vocal enough in taking a stand regarding what it feels is China’s plot against Taiwan’s sovereignty. As Beijing regards Lai as and the DPP as freedom fighters, Taiwan has maintained its resistance to what it believes is increased military and political pressure from China.
Geo-political tensions surrounding Taiwan have received words of caution from analysts who say the situation might go worse as China does not drop its mentality that it would bring the island under its control by force, if necessary.
