China ends military exercises around Taiwan

The Chinese army completed the maneuvers launched on Thursday around Taiwan to test their ability to seize power on this self-governing island claimed by Beijing.

The armed forces “successfully completed” the two-day exercises around Taiwansaid a presenter on CCTV-7, the state channel dedicated to military news, on Friday night.

In the two days of military maneuvers111 planes and dozens of ships surrounded this democratically governed island, according to the ministry of Taiwanese defense.

On Friday night, the Chinese military released a video showing missile trucks ready to fire, officers aboard warships peering through binoculars at Taiwanese ships, and soldiers in uniform proclaiming their allegiance to the Communist Party.

These exercises, which were intended to simulate a blockade of the island, included the participation of the ground forces, the navy, the air force and the rocket unit, responsible for strategic missiles.

They took place mainly in the Taiwan Strait, to the north, south and east of the territory.

In Taiwan, the spokesperson for the presidential office, Karen Kuodenounced the maneuvers on Saturday.

“China’s recent unilateral provocation not only undermines the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but is also a blatant provocation to the international order, which has raised serious concern and condemnation from the international community,” he stated in a statement.

Beijing considers Taiwan as one of its provinces, which has not yet managed to reunify with its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war and the arrival of the communists to power on the mainland in 1949.

The exercises began on Thursday, three days after the new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, took office with a speech denounced by China as a “confession of independence.”

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qianaccused Lai on Friday of being “pushing our compatriots in Taiwan into a dangerous war situation.”

“Every time (the movement supporting) ‘Taiwan independence’ provokes us, we will go one step further with our countermeasures, until we achieve the complete reunification of the homeland,” the spokesperson warned.

The device is part of a campaign to escalate China’s military pressure on this autonomous and democratically governed island, with almost daily incursions by ships and planes in its surroundings and several large-scale exercises since 2022.

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