“Severe Warning”: China Holds Three-Day Military Exercises Around Taiwan

Amid heightened tensions, China has begun a three-day military exercise around the island of Taiwan. A spokesman for China’s People’s Liberation Army said on Saturday that this was a “serious warning” to “separatist forces” in Taiwan. Bombers and missile boats were mobilized for the military exercise scheduled until Monday.

According to the Taiwanese defense ministry, 42 fighter jets and eight warships were registered around the island on Saturday. 29 aircraft had entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. This is a buffer zone between the island nation and the People’s Republic of China.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which is responsible for relations with Beijing, has sharply criticized China’s announced military exercises. These would “undermine peace and stability in the region,” a statement said on Saturday. The government is determined to defend national sovereignty and democracy and to continue working closely with like-minded democratic countries.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy just Wednesday (local time). The California encounter was the first of its kind on American soil. Tsai thanked the United States for its continued support. Of China, she said: “We are once again in a world where democracy is under threat.”

The Chinese government, on the other hand, spoke of “outrageous misconduct” and assessed the high-level meeting as a serious provocation. In protest, China approved the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, where Tsai and McCarthy met on Wednesday.

The communist leadership in Beijing considers the democratically governed island of Taiwan part of the People’s Republic and is trying to isolate its 23 million inhabitants politically. Beijing also regularly threatens to conquer Taiwan by military means if necessary. Meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping reiterated his claim to power on the island: “It is simply desirable to expect China to be willing to compromise thinking about the Taiwan issue. Whoever does that is only shooting himself in the foot.”

A visit to Taiwan by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, in August had led to a serious crisis. At that time, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army simulated a military island blockade.

The conflict in Taiwan is a major issue between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. Washington is committed to Taiwan’s defense capabilities, including arms supplies. Observers fear the dispute could potentially lead to a military confrontation between the two world powers. (sda/dpa)