Beijing: China Monday launched massive military drills in the middle areas of the Taiwan Strait as a “punitive and deterrent” action against Taiwan’s separatist forces, days after the US announced a record USD 11.1 billion arms sales to Taipei.
The two drills, in which a host of advanced fighter jets, long-range rockets and naval ships are involved, came amid rising diplomatic tensions with Japan over Taiwan that Beijing claims as its territory.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command is employing fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles in coordination with long-range rocket fires to conduct drills in the waters and airspace in the middle areas of the Taiwan Strait Monday,” a Chinese military announcement said.
China has been conducting high-intensity military exercises around Taiwan since 2022, following then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
This is the sixth such drill. These exercises are widely interpreted as rehearsals for military action against the self-governing island which Beijing claims as part of its mainland.
The drills are a punitive and deterrent action against separatist forces who seek “Taiwan independence” through military build-up, and a necessary move to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.
Nothing will deter China from defending national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China’s firm response. All attempts to hold back China’s reunification will invariably fail, he said.
Asked whether the drills were in retaliation to the US record arms sales to Taiwan, Lin said, “Anyone who crosses the line or makes provocations on the question will be met with China’s firm response”.
Taiwan condemned China’s military drills, saying Beijing is using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries.
In its reaction to the drills Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said in a post on X that rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert to defend the island
In a separate statement, the ministry said it had deployed appropriate forces in response, conducting combat readiness drills.
Spokesperson for the Taiwanese president’s office, Karen Kuo was quoted as saying that the drills undermined the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region and openly challenged international law and order.
A PLA statement said the drills focussed on striking mobile ground targets and intended to test the troops’ capabilities of precision strikes on key targets.
The drills in which fighters, bombers, long range rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles will be used comes in the backdrop of the US approval of a record USD 11.1 billion arms package to Taipei which China sharply criticised and diplomatic tensions with Japan over Taiwan.
US President Donald Trump approved an arms package worth USD 11.1 billion for Taiwan, which, if cleared by the US Congress, would mark Washington’s largest-ever arms sale to the island.
The arms sale aids Taiwan’s independence forces’ plans to turn the island into a powder keg, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here on December 18, reacting to Trump’s approval to the arms sale.
“China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” he said.
The arms sales to Taiwan comes in the backdrop of rising China-Japan tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in parliament on November 7 that a Taiwan contingency could be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan that may lead to action from the country’s defence forces in support of the US.
Her remarks angered China, which demanded Takaichi to retract her statement.
China has also criticised Japan’s move to develop the easternmost island of Okinawa for the deployment of a mobile surveillance radar unit to monitor Chinese aircraft carriers and airplanes.
The Japanese side kept strengthening targeted military deployment near Taiwan region and even claimed it will deploy mid-range missiles, he said.
This time, it went even further by deploying a radar unit and troops to secretly monitor its neighbour,” Guo said.
“Given the erroneous and dangerous remarks made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan, we must question: Is the Japanese side making trouble and provocations at one’s doorstep to find a pretext for its military build-up and missions overseas,” he said.
PTI
