the balance of China’s military exercises around the island

The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China announced the start of military exercises near Taiwan starting at 7:45 a.m. Thursday as “strong punishment” for “separatist acts related to independence” of Taiwan.

In a press conference, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN) reported that 28 of those planes crossed the Taiwan Strait dividing linean unofficial border that had been respected by Beijing and Taipei for decades, or penetrated the self-proclaimed Taiwanese Air Identification Zone (ADIZ), the highest number so far this year.

The MDN also detected 15 Navy ships and 16 Chinese Coast Guard ships sailing in the vicinity of Taiwan and the Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyn islands, archipelagos under Taiwanese control and located a few kilometers from China.

The two days of military exercises “around the island of Taiwan” take place after the inauguration of a new president detested by Beijing. Considered by the communist authorities as a “dangerous separatist”, Lai Ching-te was sworn in as president on Monday with a speech in which he celebrated Taiwan’s democracy and urged China to “cease its political and military intimidation.”

China, which claims sovereignty over the separately governed island since 1949 and has never ruled out the use of force to take control of it, denounced his words as a “confession of independence.”

The maneuvers began early Thursday with the deployment of military aircraft and ships “around the island of Taiwan” to test their combat capabilities, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced.

They are a “serious warning” addressed to the “independence supporters” of the island, who will end up “bloodied,” said a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, Wang Wenbin.

Taiwanese authorities responded immediately and mobilized their sea, air and land forces.
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​“This military exercise not only does not help peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights the militaristic mentality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is the essence of military expansionism and hegemony,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN) said in a statement.

In coordination with the military, the Taiwan Coast Guard deployed its fleet to “monitor movements in the surrounding maritime waters” and defend “the country’s sovereignty and security with a firm attitude.”

Taiwan also deployed four fighter jets from the Hsinchu baseabout 60 km southwest of Taipei.

In images released by the Taiwanese Coast Guard on social networks, officers appear urging the Chinese ships, through a loudspeaker, to leave the site.

“Your movements affect the order and security of our country, turn around and leave our waters as soon as possible,” says one of them.

According to Chinese Army spokesman Colonel Li Xi, Beijing’s maneuvers represent “strong punishment for the separatist acts of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces.” With them, “joint real combat capabilities will be put to the test,” he said.

For his part, professor at the National Defense University in Beijing, Zhang Chi, commented on state television CCTV that The exercises seek to “impose an economic blockade on the island”, “strangling” the port of Kaohsiung, which is of strategic interest to Taiwan.

With this blockade, “vital energy imports for Taiwan” can be cut off and “blocked the support that some US allies provide to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” according to the academic.

After the start of the maneuvers, The new Taiwanese president, William Lai (Lai Ching-te), assured that his Government will show “determination” when it comes to “protecting” the island.

“Right now, the international community is paying close attention to democratic Taiwan. In the face of external challenges and threats, we will continue to defend the value of freedom and democracy and protect regional peace and stability,” said the president during an event at the headquarters of the 66th Marine Brigade.
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​In his speech, in which he did not explicitly refer to China’s exercises, Lai highlighted his “confidence” in the island’s Army and asked all citizens “to be calm.”

“As commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, my responsibility is to protect our country and protect the lives and property of all (Taiwanese) people. “I will be on the same front as my brothers and sisters in the Army to jointly protect national security,” Lai said.
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The Taipei Foreign Ministry, for its part, reiterated that Taiwan “will continue to defend its belief in democracy” and will not change “due to coercion” from China.

Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated markedly since the rise to power of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016. who, like her successor Lai, is a firm defender of the island’s democratic model.

Beijing increased military, diplomatic and economic pressure on this island of 23 million inhabitants that, although it barely enjoys international recognition, has a government, an army and its own currency.

“China clearly feels it needs to send a very strong message to Lai and anyone who supports him,” analyst Bill Bishop wrote in his influential Sinocism newsletter.

In August, China launched military exercises in response to then-Vice President Lai’s stop in the United States amid a trip to Paraguay.

Months earlier, in April, Chinese armed forces pretended to surround the island after Tsai met in California with then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In 2022, China held massive military exercises in the area after McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan.

Events in this area can have important economic consequences, since 70% of the world’s semiconductor production comes from Taiwan and more than 50% of freight containers cross the strait that separates this island from mainland China.