BEIJING, China: Beijing said on Friday that ongoing exercises surrounding Taiwan are testing the military’s ability to seize power over the self-ruled island, days after its new president was sworn in.
China’s military began the war games on Thursday morning, surrounding Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft while vowing to blood “independence forces” on the island.
The drills – codenamed “Joint Sword-2024A” – take place after Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan’s new president this week and delivered an inaugural speech China condemned as a “declaration of independence”.
The drills are part of an escalating campaign of intimidation by China, which has seen a number of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in recent years.
The two-day drills are testing “the ability to jointly seize power, strike jointly and control key territories,” said Li Xi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command.
The United Nations urged all parties to avoid escalation, while the United States – Taiwan’s strongest ally and military backer – “strongly” urged China to act with restraint.
‘Severe punishment’
Beijing, which split from Taipei at the end of a civil war 75 years ago, considers the island a renegade province with which it must eventually be reunited.
As the exercise began, Beijing said it would serve as “strong punishment for the separatist actions of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces.”
Footage released by the Chinese military showed soldiers streaming from the building to battle stations and jets taking off to rousing battle tunes.
State broadcaster CCTV said Chinese sailors called out to their Taiwanese counterparts at sea, warning them to “resist reunification by force”.
President Lai said he would “stand on the front line” to defend Taiwan in a speech Thursday afternoon, without directly referring to the ongoing drills.
China has repeatedly called Lai a “dangerous separatist” who would bring “war and decay” to the island.
Beijing further angered over his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he celebrated the “glorious” era of Taiwan’s democracy.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin issued the warning on Thursday, saying, “Taiwan independence forces will be left with broken heads and bloodshed after they clash with China’s great… trend towards full unification.”
The exercises are taking place in the Taiwan Strait and in the north, south and east of the island, as well as in the areas around the Taipei-administered Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin islands.
Beijing has said the exercises will last until Friday, but analysts say it could decide to extend the war games or fire missiles near Taiwan, as it did after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in 2022.
Taipei’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday that China’s military had come within 24 nautical miles (44 kilometers) of Taiwan’s main island.
