China has commenced a second day of military exercises around Taiwan, framing them as a response to “separatist acts” following the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president earlier in the week.
These drills, which involve units from the Chinese Air Force, rocket force, navy, army, and Coast Guard, were announced unexpectedly on Thursday morning.
Maps released by China indicated five approximate target areas in the sea surrounding Taiwan’s main island, with additional areas targeting Taiwan’s offshore islands near the Chinese mainland.
According to China’s defense ministry, the exercises on Friday are designed to test the military’s ability to “seize power” and occupy strategic areas, aligning with Beijing’s ultimate aim of annexing Taiwan.
Despite strong resistance from Taiwan’s government and population against Chinese rule, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not ruled out the use of force to take the island.
Western intelligence has reported that Xi has instructed the People’s Liberation Army to be ready for an invasion by 2027.
The PLA reported on Thursday afternoon that fighter jets equipped with live missiles had conducted “mock strikes” on Taiwanese military targets.
However, the current drills are less extensive than those conducted in 2022 and 2023.
Unlike previous exercises, Beijing did not declare any no-fly zones, and no live fire was used outside designated practice areas on the Chinese mainland, as per Taiwan’s military.
The Taiwanese defense ministry stated that China deployed 19 warships around Taiwan, along with 16 marine police vessels and 49 warplanes, 35 of which crossed the median line—the unofficial boundary between China and Taiwan.
In reaction, Taiwan scrambled jets, heightened its alert status, and repositioned anti-ship missile systems along its coast.
Speaking from a military base in Taoyuan on Thursday, Taiwan’s newly inaugurated president Lai Ching-te expressed confidence in the military’s ability to defend the island.
China’s state news agency Xinhua declared on Friday that the drills were “legitimate, timely and entirely necessary, as ‘Taiwan independence’ acts in any form cannot be tolerated.”
Lai Ching-te was inaugurated on Monday following his victory in January’s democratic elections.
Both Lai and his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, are members of the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which Beijing views as separatist.
During his inauguration speech, Lai reaffirmed Taiwan’s sovereignty, vowed to protect it, and called on China to cease hostilities.
Any such speech from a DPP president, unless it aligns with Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is part of China, typically provokes a hostile reaction from China.
A Xinhua editorial labeled Lai’s speech a “serious provocation,” asserting that China’s countermeasures were “inevitable.”
The editorial stated, “Lai has deliberately incited hatred toward the mainland and escalated confrontation and hostility across the Strait.”
An editorial in the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, emphasized the shared belief among Chinese people that the nation’s territory cannot be divided, the country cannot be thrown into chaos, and its people cannot be separated.
The potential for conflict over Taiwan, which could draw in other regional and global powers, remains a significant concern. In response to the drills, representatives from Japan, the US, South Korea, and Australia called for calm.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, warned that “the risk of an accident, and potential escalation, is growing.”
