An ongoing storyongoing story,
The exercises began three days after William Lai Qingde was sworn in as president on the island, which China claims as its own.
According to Chinese state media, China has begun two days of military exercises in the sea and airspace around the autonomous island of Taiwan.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on Thursday that the drills began at 7:45 a.m. (11:45 p.m. GMT) in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan and in some areas around Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin Islands.
In a post on China’s Weibo, military spokesperson Colonel Li Bi said the joint exercise involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force was “a severe punishment for the separatist acts of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces”. “This is a stern warning against interference and provocation by outside forces.”
The show of force, codenamed “Joint Sword 2024A,” comes as Taiwan’s new president, William Lai Ching-te, takes the oath of office and urges Beijing to stop “threatening” Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. This was done 3 days after I requested it.
The Chinese government has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal of unification, and has reacted angrily to Li’s appointment. China considers Mr. Li a “troublemaker” and a “separatist.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense called the Chinese exercises “irrational provocations and actions that disrupt regional peace and stability” and said it had placed Taiwan’s military on “high alert” in response.
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said Beijing’s reaction to Lai’s election victory in January was relatively restrained.
“China clearly decided to wait for the presidential inaugural address before deciding on its response,” she told Al Jazeera. She refers to China by the first letter of the country’s official name. “It is clear that China strongly opposes what it sees as attempts to develop a comprehensive ‘Taiwan independence’ narrative aimed at changing the nature of cross-strait relations. We expect China to deploy a series of military, political, and economic measures in the coming weeks and months.”
In his first address to the nation after being sworn in, Lai said, “The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent nation with sovereignty exercised by the people,” and stressed that the Taiwanese government would not make any concessions on democracy and freedom.
He called on Beijing to “cease its aggression against Taiwan” and strive to “maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region.”
“Hegemonic nature”
The next day, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out.
“The ugly acts of Lai Qingde and others who betrayed their country and ancestors are shameful,” China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kazakhstan.
He added that nothing could stop China from achieving “unification” and returning Taiwan to the motherland. “All Taiwanese separatists will be nailed to history’s pillar of shame.”
In an editorial on Wednesday, the state-run tabloid Global Times described Mr. Lai’s first speech as head of state as a “despicable act” and claimed his speech was “full of hostility, provocation, lies and deceit.” did.
Since Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was elected to her first term as president in 2016, China has stepped up its military activities around the island. After then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, Taiwanese officials met with politicians from the United States, a key ally of Taiwan, and conducted an unprecedented series of war games. .
Taiwan’s defence ministry said the actions had caused “serious damage to world peace and stability”.
Furthermore, recent military exercises were carried out “under false pretenses”, underscoring China’s “hegemonic nature”.
There could be more to come, said Song Wen-xi, a Taiwan and China expert and adjunct fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.
“The latest military exercise has been code-named ‘Joint Sword-2024A,'” he noted. “The ‘A’ at the end suggests that there may be B and even C exercises in the future. Beijing’s show of force immediately after Lai’s inauguration has clearly shown its displeasure. But this is just a ‘signal.’ The real ‘punishment’ is yet to come.”
China views the Democratic Progressive Party as a “separatist” movement bent on independence. Tsai and Lai, whose victory gave the Democratic Progressive Party a historic third term, insist that Taiwanese people should choose their own future.
Report by Erin Hale from Taiwan.
