The live-fire drills were intended to rehearse an encirclement and blockade of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has threatened to take by force if necessary
China has warned that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and independence for Taiwan are “mutually exclusive” as it concluded 3 days of live-fire drills near the self-governed island.
The live-fire drills named, ‘Joint Sword’, were organised in retaliation to the visit of President of Taiwan – Tsai Ing-wen to the United States (U.S.). Last week, Tsai met the U.S. House Speaker – Kevin McCarthy in California, prompting a furious response from Beijing, which has branded her nationalist Democratic Progressive Party as separatists.
Speaking on the occasion, the Spokesperson for Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Wang Wenbin said, “If we want to protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, we must firmly oppose any form of Taiwan independence separatism.”
The live-fire drills were intended to rehearse an encirclement and blockade of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has threatened to take by force if necessary. The exercise comprehensively tested the integrated joint combat ability of multiple military branches under actual combat conditions.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it had detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 vessels around Taiwan. It said its forces monitored the exercises and aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems were tasked with responding to them.
Of the 70 aircraft, 35 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. Taiwan’s Government has condemned the exercises while the U.S. has urged China to show restraint. Japan had said it was closely following the drills, which took place close to its Okinawa Islands. Japan said it had scrambled jets in recent days as a result of the drills.
The vessels were spotted 230 to 430 kms. (140 to 270 miles) South of the Japanese island. There were 120 landings and departures on the Chinese navy’s Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Shandong. Of these 120 landings and departures, 80 were conducted by fighter aircraft and 40 by helicopters.
Taiwan, a parliamentary democracy whose contested status stems from the outcome of the 1927-49 Chinese Civil War, is officially recognised by just a handful of countries. The U.S. does not officially recognise Taiwan but has expressed opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo and has for decades supported the island’s defences with weapons sales.
The U.S. Department of State said that China should not turn Tsai’s visit “into something it is not or use it as a pretext to overreact”. Besides, the U.S. Navy has sailed the USS Milius, a guided-missile destroyer, near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea to uphold “freedom of navigation” in the strategic waterway. Beijing, which claims about 90% of the waterway, condemned the passage as an illegal intrusion. Separately, Russia backed the live-fire drills conducted by China saying that it has a sovereign right to respond to provocative acts.
