The Chinese military has begun “combat readiness maneuvers and military exercises around the Taiwan Strait, north and south of the island of Taiwan, and in the air and sea space to the east of the island.” This is what was reported by a spokesman for the Command, prompting an immediate reaction from Taipei, according to which the exercises “threaten regional stability and security”.
The exercises, which will last until Monday April 10, follow the return of the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, from the United States, where she met, among others, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. The “rapid response” maneuvers represent “a serious warning” against “provocation by separatists” with “external forces” and “a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, the ministry said of Chinese Defense.
Taiwanese authorities have reported the presence of eight Chinese warships and 42 fighter planes, 29 of which would have passed the median line of the Strait, which conventionally marks the territorial border with China. The maneuvers, the Chinese state network CCTV said, are trying a “total encirclement” of Taiwan, with “patrols and advances around the island, shaping positions of encirclement and all-round deterrence”.
Beijing had reacted to the meeting between McCarthy and Tsai, held on Wednesday 5, by sanctioning the places and institutions that had organized it: the Hudson Institute think tank, the Ronald Reagan presidential library and the respective heads of these organizations, accused of having provided Tsai “a footbridge to promote island independence in the United States“. Upon returning home, Tsai said that he would not give in to pressure from China and continue the dialogue with international partners. “We have demonstrated to the international community that, in the face of pressure and threats, Taiwan will be even more united and absolutely will not give in to acts of repression, nor is it willing to cut off its interactions with the world.”