China has announced that it has begun military exercises around Taiwan. “Fighters and bombers and other advanced aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait,” state network CCTV reported, according to which “several destroyers and frigates of the Eastern Theater Naval Command “conducted maneuvers simultaneously.” called Joint Sword-2024B, “test the joint operational capabilities of the troops of the theater command”, we read in a statement from the Ministry of Defense. A record of 153 military aircraft was detected in the ‘Joint Sword’ maneuvers, never so many in a single day.
Taiwan, for its part, announced that it had deployed “adequate forces” in response to the start of Chinese military exercises. Subsequently, Taiwanese President William Lai held a “high-level” Security Council meeting to take stock of the situation. The Ministry of Defense condemned Beijing’s “irrational and provocative behavior” in a statementspecifying that it has “deployed adequate forces to respond appropriately, with the aim of protecting freedom and democracy, as well as defending the sovereignty” of Taiwan.
The United States said it was “seriously concerned about the People’s Liberation Army’s joint military exercises in and around Taiwan.” In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller noted that Beijing’s response “with military provocations to a routine annual speech (by President Lai on October 10, ed.) is unjustified and risks escalating.” The invitation is “to act with moderation and avoid further actions that could undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region”, essential for regional peace and prosperity.
The Tokyo government also expressed “concern” for the Chinese exercises held around the island of Taiwan, the first large-scale exercises since last May, adding that Japan scrambled fighter planes along Yonaguni Island, located just over 220 kilometers east of Taiwan . The deputy head of the Cabinet, Kazuhiro Aoki, said this, speaking to a press outlet.
The purpose of China’s military maneuvers around Taiwan is to block key ports and areas, assault sea and land targets, gain global superiority, and send a “severe warning to the separatist forces” of ‘Taiwan Independence'”Beijing said. For this purpose, the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, spokesman Li Xi reported, has sent troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Missile Force for the ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ exercises in the Taiwan Strait and in areas to the north, south and east of the island. Troops “from multiple services will engage in joint exercises” with the aim of focusing “on sea-to-air combat readiness patrol issues so as to test joint operational capabilities.” “, added the spokesperson, for whom the operation is “legitimate and necessary to safeguard sovereignty and national unity”. The note did not provide further details, including the scheduled duration of the operations, but from the maps released by the media state authorities result in a maritime blockade around the island structured across nine areas, one more than in the ‘Joint Sword 2024-A’ cycle.
Beijing’s show of strength followed Taiwanese President William Lai’s speech for the October 10 celebrations marking the 113th anniversary of the Republic of China, the official name of Taipei. Lai, called a “separatist” and a “troublemaker” by the Mandarin leadership, vowed to “resist the annexation” of the island, and insisted that Beijing and Taipei are “not subordinate to each other” and that People’s Republic has no right to represent the island. All “provocations”, according to the Dragon, capable of potentially causing “a disaster” in Taiwan.
For its part, the Chinese coast guard reported that it had sent its ships to conduct “inspections” around Taiwan, as part of military exercises against the island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, to be reunified even by force if necessary. Units 2901, 1305, 1303 and 2102 are “conducting inspections in the waters surrounding Taiwan island in accordance with the law based on the China Unit principle,” coast guard spokesman Liu Dejun said in a statement. The units were detected yesterday as sailing from north to south, to reach the aircraft carrier Liaoning in the Pacific.