China has launched a series of military drills around Taiwan Thursday as âpunishmentâ for the swearing-in of the islandâs new president, Chinese-state media reported.
Lai Ching-te, a member of Taiwanâs Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won in the islandâs presidential elections in January and was inaugurated on May 20. Chinaâs Peopleâs Liberation Army (PLA) initiated joint naval and air drills around the island in an act of intimidation and retaliation for Taiwanâs continued claim to independence.
The âTaiwan questionâ is one of Beijingâs most sensitive issues. China views Taiwan as a rogue territory that needs to be reunited with the mainland and demands other countries view the issue similarly. Some members of the international community are concerned China will eventually invade Taiwan and take the island by force if it doesnât surrender peacefully.
âThose like Lai Ching-te have betrayed their nation and ancestors. What they have done is simply disgraceful,â Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Webin told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday, warning that Taiwanese independent forces âwill be left with their heads broken and blood flowingâ if they challenge China, according to the Hindustan Times.
âNo matter what gimmicks they play, they will not stop Chinaâs complete reunification and Taiwanâs return to the embrace of the motherland,â Wang said. âAll âTaiwan independenceâ separatists will see their names written on the wall of shame.â
The PLAâs Eastern Theater Command began the drills early on Thursday morning and is expected to continue the drills until Friday, PLA spokesman Li Xi told Chinese-state media. The PLA also is conducting mock âprecision strikes on key targetsâ as part of the operations to test the âreal combat capabilities of the forces of the command.â
Taiwanese security forces detected 42 Chinese fighter jets, 16 coast guard vessels and 15 naval vessels around the island and smaller neighboring islands on Thursday, according to The New York Times. None of the Chinese aircraft or vessels had entered Taiwanese territory or airspace as of Thursday.
âThe Armed Forces stand ready to defend our country. We seek no conflicts, but we will not shy away from one,â Taiwanâs Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
The drills are some of the largest China has conducted since former U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy hosted then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Washington in April 2023, which prompted anger from Beijing given its opposition to bilateral relations between Taiwan and other nations. Even larger drills were held when former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a visit to Taiwan in August 2022.
The ongoing tensions between China and Taiwan have raised international concern that China is preparing for a full-scale invasion that could prompt a war with the West. The U.S. maintains a âOne Chinaâ policy and does not recognize Taiwanese independence, but considers the island a strong ally and has defense agreements to provide military equipment for defenses.
The U.S. also keeps a position of âstrategic ambiguityâ when it comes to Taiwan, not revealing whether it would militarily defend the island in the event of an incursion. The White House on several occasions has had to walkback President Joe Bidenâs claims that the U.S. would involve itself in a conflict with China if it decided to invade Taiwan.
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