BEIJING – China’s military said Thursday it has started two-day drills around Taiwan as a “strong punishment” for those seeking the island’s independence and a “stern warning” against interference and provocation by external forces.
The exercises followed the inauguration Monday of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing condemns as a separatist. A map released by the military showed drill zones in five areas surrounding Taiwan as well as outlying islands close to the Chinese coast.
The drills through Friday are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island, as well as around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, according to the military’s Eastern Theater Command, which covers the strait.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry slammed China’s military drills as “irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability.” The island’s sea, air and land forces have been dispatched appropriately and are confident of ensuring the island’s security, the ministry added.
The Taiwan ministry also said it has been closely monitoring the routine training of China’s amphibious landing forces and the moves of the Rocket Force troops together with the island’s coast guard.
The island’s Foreign Ministry urged China to “return to reason and show self-restraint” and refrain from actions that raise regional tensions.
The Chinese military said the drills involve the integrated operation of its forces to test the real combat capabilities, focusing on the seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, joint precision strikes on key targets, and the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around Taiwan.
The China Coast Guard also said it has conducted a drill near Wuqiu and Dongyin islands.
Beijing has ramped up criticism of Lai, who called Taiwan a “sovereign, independent nation” in his inauguration speech and insisted that it and the mainland are “not subordinate to each other,” while vowing to maintain the status quo.
In the speech, Taiwan’s new leader also urged China to stop its military and political threats against the self-ruled island amid heightened cross-strait relations, with Beijing regularly sending military vessels and warplanes near the territory.
The mainland has also rapped the United States, Japan, Britain and South Korea for congratulating Lai on his inauguration. China is strongly opposed to countries that have switched their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing engaging in official exchanges with Taiwan.
In August 2022, China conducted large-scale military drills encircling Taiwan following a visit to the island by then U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who became the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot in the territory in a quarter century.
Communist-led China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split as the result of a civil war in 1949. Beijing aims to bring the island into its fold, by force if necessary.
