China began holding military drills in areas surrounding Taiwan on Monday, days after Beijing accused the self-governing island’s president of promoting independence in a National Day address.
China said its army, navy, air force, rocket force and other forces were taking part in the drills to test their ability to fight alongside each other, and to send a warning to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. It did not say when the exercises would conclude.
“This is a powerful deterrent against the separatist activities of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a legitimate and necessary action to defend national sovereignty and maintain national unity,” said Senior Col. Li Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, which oversees an area including Taiwan, according to state media. In a social media post, the Eastern Theater Command said it was “ready to fight at all times.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, in a statement, expressed “strong condemnation for such irrational and provocative behavior” and said it had dispatched troops to respond to the Chinese drills.
Experts in Taiwan said the scale of the exercises was not immediately clear, given that no prior notice had been given and few details had been made public. A map posted by Chinese state media depicted the drills as being conducted in six large areas encircling Taiwan.
China called the exercise “Joint Sword-2024B,” suggesting that it was a continuation of a two-day exercise in May, called “Joint Sword-2024A,” that was held after President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan was sworn in. Beijing dislikes Mr. Lai, accusing him and his party of seeking independence.
In a speech on Thursday commemorating Taiwan’s National Day, Mr. Lai said that China and Taiwan were “not subordinate to each other” and that Beijing had “no right to represent Taiwan” and its 23 million people. Still, Mr. Lai said he was committed to “upholding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” and said he was willing to work with China on global challenges like climate change and infectious diseases.
China immediately criticized Mr. Lai’s speech. Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said his remarks were an attempt to “sever the historical connections between the two sides.” She said Mr. Lai was “heightening tensions in the Taiwan Strait for his selfish political interest.”
Chang Wu-ueh, director of the Institute of China Studies at Tamkang University in New Taipei City in Taiwan, said the drills China announced on Monday were “a direct and fierce response” to Mr. Lai’s National Day speech.
“It shows that China has no trust and no expectations for President Lai,” Dr. Chang said. “No matter what he says, it will be dissatisfied.”
China appeared to be using the drills to signal its displeasure without going so far as to cause significant alarm or disruption. In earlier exercises that involved the use of live ammunition, for instance, China issued warnings in advance, announced no-fly zones and delineated zones of activity with specific longitudes and latitudes.
“Theoretically speaking, the scale shouldn’t be too big,” Dr. Chang said. “Because if you are going to carry out large-scale live ammunition design and launch of those so-called missiles in the sea and air, you must inform them in advance, so as to avoid harming the aircraft and ships related to the air and sea areas.”
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