‘Military Drills Were Countermeasures’: China Defends Ship, Aircraft Deployment Near Taiwan

The China Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office defended its recent military drills in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, calling them “countermeasures” and “serious warnings” against the Taiwan independence forces and their supporters. The office spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, stated that it was necessary to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s President, slammed the Chinese military drills, calling Beijing’s conduct “irresponsible” for a major Asian nation. The large-scale drills, which lasted for three days and ended on Monday, were in retaliation for Tsai’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her tour of Taiwan’s official and unofficial allies in California last week. China views such meetings as encouragement for pro-independence Taiwanese voters and politicians, which it believes could lead to war.

The two nations have remained separated since 1949 after a civil war. Beijing claims that Taiwan is obliged to rejoin the Chinese mainland. It says that it will retake Taiwan even by force, if necessary. However, Taiwan’s government institutions are not recognized by China, which has cut off almost all communication with Tsai’s government since her initial 2016 election. China has also blocked Taiwan’s participation in most international organizations, starting with the United Nations.

Despite China’s attempts to isolate it diplomatically, surveys show that the majority of Taiwanese citizens support the current state of de facto “independence”. Tsai’s government has also stated that a formal declaration of independence is not necessary as the island already has the status of a sovereign nation.

Zhu emphasized that the military drills were not targeted at the people of Taiwan, but urged them to “recognize the interests, distinguish right from wrong, and stand on the correct side of history” to oppose independence. In recent years, China has been increasing its military presence in the Taiwan Strait by sending warplanes on a near-daily basis and conducting military drills in the waters and skies around Taiwan.