The self-ruled island of Taiwan was the target of military maneuvers focused on land and sea assaults, according to China’s military. This was the second such exercise in less than a month.
57 Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships were spotted flying over Taiwan in the last 24 hours, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry, which shared maps of their flight patterns on Twitter.
The statement added that about 28 of the aircraft entered the ADIZ, an unofficial border separating the two sides in the Taiwan Strait, off the southwest coast of Taiwan. According to the ministry map, two H-6 bombers equipped with nuclear weapons were flying south of Taiwan.
In a statement late on Sunday, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command claimed its forces had organized “joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat drills” in the sea and the airspace surrounding Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
The aim of the exercises was to test joint combat capabilities and “resolutely counter the provocative actions of external forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces”, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the command, said in a brief statement.
Taiwan’s presidential office said China was making “groundless accusations” and strongly condemned the drills, saying the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the region were the common responsibility of both Taiwan and China.
Taiwan’s position is very clear, in that it will neither escalate conflicts nor provoke disputes, but will firmly defend its sovereignty and security, the office said in a statement.
“The nation’s military has a close grasp of the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding area and responds calmly. Our people can rest assured,” it added.
China has stepped up its military activities in the waters and airspace near Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016. But tensions rose significantly in August last year after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
“WE WORK TOGETHER FOR THE SECURITY OF TAIWAN”: US HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI
Taiwan’s government has vowed to defend itself against an attack from China and claims that only Taiwanese people have the power to decide the future of the island.
Beijing’s latest manoeuvres come as members of parliament from Germany arrived on Monday ahead of an anticipated ministerial visit later this year.
Data provided by the Taiwanese government indicates that in 2022, the Chinese military sent 1,727 aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ. Comparatively, there were roughly 960 intrusions in 2021 and 380 in 2020.
