China It began on Tuesday morning two days after emilitary exercises “around the island of Taiwan” as “strong punishment” for “separatist acts” in this territory, announced the state press.
The maneuvers take place after the inauguration on Monday of the new Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, described by Beijing as “a dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to this autonomous and democratic territory.
China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of the civil war in 1949.but Beijing claims its sovereignty over the island and has never ruled out the use of force to take control.
Relations between both territories have deteriorated in recent years in which Beijing has increased military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island.
The maneuvers, named Joint Sword-2024A, began at 07:45 on Thursday (23:45 GMT) “around the island of Taiwan” and will last two daysstated the state press agency Xinhua.
The exercises are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, to the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan, as well as in the areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin,” this media reported.
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“They will focus on combat readiness of joint sea-air patrols, joint takeover of comprehensive control of the battlefield and joint precision strikes against key targets,” Xinhua added.
Chinese army military spokesman Li Xi described the maneuvers as “strong punishment for separatist acts by ‘Taiwan independence’ forces” and a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces,” the news agency noted.
These “will involve patrolling ships and aircraft approaching areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations within and outside the island chain to test the joint command forces’ actual combat capabilities,” the spokesperson added.
“Irrational provocations” says Taiwan
The Ministry of Defense of Taiwan “strongly condemned such irrational actions and provocations that undermine regional peace and stability,” he said in a statement.
We have deployed maritime, air and land forces to respond (…) and to defend freedom, democracy and sovereignty” of the island, he added.
The Coast Guard Taiwan said it had deployed its ships to defend sovereignty of the island before the military maneuvers deployed by the Chinese army.
The Coast Guard will defend the sovereignty and security of the country with a firm attitude,” said this body. In its statement, the organization assures that it is collaborating with the Ministry of Defense to “monitor movements in the surrounding maritime waters.”
In his inauguration speech, Lai had urged China to “cease its political and military intimidation against Taiwan” and “maintain peace and stability.”
He also thanked the citizens who had “firmly defended democracy” with their vote in the January presidential elections, won by the person who until then was the vice president of the government.
The last time China announced similar military exercises around Taiwan in Auguston the occasion of Lai’s stop in the United States in the middle of a trip to Paraguay.
Then, state media also noted that the goal of the maneuvers was to test the army’s ability to “take control of air and sea spaces” and to fight “under real combat conditions.”
Months earlier, in April, the Chinese military deployed other exercises that simulated surrounding the island after a meeting of then-President Tsai Ing-wen in California with the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
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In 2022, China held massive military exercises in the area after McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Both Lai and her predecessor Tsai have strongly defended the democratic model of the island compared to Beijingwhich has responded by redoubling political and military pressure against Taipei.
Although it has little international diplomatic recognition, Taiwan has become a fundamental player in the world economy as a technology manufacturing center, especially semiconductors.
Besides, The strait that separates this island from mainland China is one of the main arteries of international maritime tradethrough which more than 50 percent of containers transported in the world pass.
With information from AFP.
ORP
