In response to Taiwan’s recent presidential inauguration, China has commenced two days of military exercises around the island, framing these actions as “punishment” for Taiwan’s so-called “separatist acts.”
Chinese state media reported that numerous People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets, armed with live missiles, executed simulated attacks on “high value military targets.”
These operations involved collaboration with navy and rocket forces.
Propaganda imagery circulated online and republished by state media highlighted China’s land-based Dongfeng ballistic missiles, though it was unclear if these were actively deployed.
Taiwan’s government has denounced the drills as “irrational provocation and disruption of regional peace and stability.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry announced heightened alerts for sea, air, and ground forces, reinforced base security, and mobilized air defense and missile units to monitor potential threats.
Additionally, preparations were made for cognitive warfare operations.
This military activity marks China’s first significant reaction to the inauguration of Lai Ching-te, who assumed the presidency after winning the January election.
Both Lai and his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, belong to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which Beijing labels as separatist.
Chinese state media revealed that the exercises, dubbed Joint Sword-2024A, involve coordinated maneuvers by army, navy, air force, and rocket units in various strategic locations around Taiwan, including the Taiwan Strait and near the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, which are close to the Chinese mainland.
PLA spokesperson Li Xi stated that the drills are intended as a “strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces,” as reported by Xinhua.
The drills, which state broadcaster referred to as “countermeasures,” were described as “legitimate, legal and necessary.”
They came in the wake of a speech by President Lai that was criticized by China as “extremely harmful.”
Analysts suggest that the exercise’s designation, including the suffix “2024A,” implies additional drills targeting Taiwan might occur later this year.
Wen-ti Sung, a political analyst from the Australian National University, commented, “This feels like a prelude to more and bigger military drills to come.
This is a signal to shape international narratives.
The real ‘punishment’ against Taiwan may be yet to come, for it takes time.”
China maintains that Taiwan is a province of China and has pledged to annex it by force if necessary.
Taiwan’s government and citizens overwhelmingly reject the notion of CCP rule, with leaders pledging to enhance deterrence and defense capabilities while urging China to abandon its threats and engage in dialogue.
China has increased its pressure on Taiwan in recent years through heightened air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, economic coercion, and cognitive warfare aimed at persuading Taiwan to accept a Chinese takeover without conflict.
Maps published on Thursday indicated that the current drills are operating in similar regions as the 2022 exercises, which were a response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
However, this year’s drills also involve Taiwan’s offshore islands, signaling potential new strategies by the PLA.
In 2023, China conducted large-scale drills following a meeting between President Tsai and US Speaker Kevin McCarthy, escalating tactics from the previous year to simulate a blockade and pre-invasion attacks on Taiwan.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had warned of unspecified “countermeasures” to Lai’s inauguration speech, which called for China to end its hostility.
Given that military drills require extensive planning, these exercises were likely prepared well before Lai’s address.
Deputy Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Lt Gen Stephen Sklenka, emphasized the seriousness of China’s threats but noted that an attack or invasion is neither inevitable nor imminent.
He called for international condemnation of China’s actions, stating, “The normalisation of abnormal actions, that’s what’s happening.
Just because we expect that behavior doesn’t mean we shouldn’t condemn it.”
China’s coast guard also participated in Thursday’s exercises, with the Fujian branch conducting law enforcement drills near Taiwan’s offshore islands.
Following a fatal collision between a Chinese fishing boat and a Taiwanese Coast Guard vessel near Kinmen in February, China has increased patrols and explicitly rejected maritime borders previously respected, normalizing incursions into Taiwan’s territorial waters.
Japan, a close US ally with strong ties to Taiwan, has expressed concern over China’s actions in the Taiwan Strait.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced that Japan would communicate directly with Beijing to emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Japan had previously lodged strong complaints with China during the 2022 drills when PLA missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.