Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan : NPR

HONG KONG – The Chinese military on Monday sent air, naval and missile forces to conduct joint military exercises around the island of Taiwan. Beijing called the move a “stern warning” against separatists and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was putting its troops on alert and called the Chinese government “the world's biggest destroyer.”

The drills came after Beijing expressed dissatisfaction with American arms sales to the territory and a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying its military could intervene if China took action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that the world's second-largest economy says should come under its rule. But the Chinese military did not mention the United States and Japan in its statement Monday morning.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a post on X that rapid response exercises were being conducted and forces were on high alert to defend the island. A separate statement said that in response, appropriate forces were deployed and combat readiness exercises were conducted.

“The targeted military exercises of the Chinese Communist Party once again confirm its character as an aggressor and the largest destroyer of the world,” the ministry said.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command, said the exercise will be held in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island.

Shi said activities would focus on sea and air alert patrols, “jointly seizing comprehensive superiority” and blockade of key ports. It was also the first large-scale military exercise in which commanders publicly mentioned that one of the goals was “total deterrence beyond the island chain.”

“This is a stern warning against separatist forces seeking Taiwan independence and forces of external interference, and a legitimate and necessary action to protect China's sovereignty and national unity,” Shi said.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. The defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan. Since then, the island has had its own government, although the mainland government claims it is a sovereign territory.

Live-fire exercises scheduled for Tuesday

The command said it was using fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles in coordination with long-range missile launches to conduct sea and air exercises in the mid-Taiwan Strait on Monday, with a focus on striking moving ground targets. They are designed to test the troops' ability to carry out precision strikes against key targets, it said.

He also said a major military exercise was scheduled for Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., saying there would be live-fire exercises and the exercise would cover five areas around the island.

The command posted thematic posters about the exercises online, accompanied by provocative language. One poster showed two billboards depicting the Great Wall, as well as three military aircraft and two ships. The social media post said the exercise was about the “Shield of Justice Breaking Illusions” and added that any foreign intruders or separatists who touched the shields would be destroyed.

Last week, Beijing imposed sanctions on 20 US defense companies and 10 executives, a week after Washington announced a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan worth more than $10 billion. If approved by the US Congress, it would be the largest US arms package ever for the self-governing territory.

Under long-standing US federal law, Washington is required to assist Taipei in its defense, an issue that has become increasingly contentious with China. The US and Taiwan had formal diplomatic relations until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter's administration recognized and established relations with Beijing.

Taiwan's army is on high alert

Monday's exercise heightened tensions on both sides. Karen Kuo, a spokeswoman for Taiwan's presidential office, said the operation undermines the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region and openly challenges international law and order.

“Our country strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for ignoring international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries.” she said.

Beijing sends warplanes and warships to the island almost daily, and has increased the size and scope of these exercises in recent years. In October, Taiwan's government said it would speed up the creation of the Taiwan Shield, or T-Dome, air defense system in the face of a military threat from China.

The military tension comes a day after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an expressed hope during a trip to Shanghai that the Taiwan Strait would be associated with peace and prosperity rather than “crashing waves and howling winds.”