These exercises, called Joint Sword-2024B, mobilized fighter planes, bombers, destroyers and the aircraft carrier Liaoning, according to an official statement.
China considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces, which it wishes to reunify peacefully, although it has never ruled out the use of force. These maneuvers aimed to test
“joint operations capabilities”
of its troops, according to the Chinese army.
During these exercises, Taiwan detected a record number of 125 Chinese aircraft near the island. A senior Taiwanese Defense Ministry official called the figure
“single day record”
.
The United States, Taiwan’s historic ally, denounced these operations as
. Washington has recognized Beijing since 1979, but continues to supply arms to Taiwan, particularly in a context of rising tensions with China.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan would continue to
“protect national security”
and of
“defend your democratic system”
. However, Beijing responded that
“Taiwanese independence and peace across the Taiwan Strait are incompatible
“.
For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense denounced the maneuvers as behavior
“irrational and provocative”
. Islands close to the Chinese coast, such as Kinmen and Penghu, have been placed in
. At the same time, a Chinese national was arrested in Kinmen after a possible
according to Taiwanese authorities.
Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated since the coming to power of Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, then Lai Ching-te in 2024. China regularly accuses the Taiwanese authorities of wanting to deepen the separation between the island and the continent, strengthening its military activity around the territory.
Disputes between China and Taiwan date back to the Chinese Civil War which saw Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists take refuge on the island after their defeat by Mao Tse-tung’s communist forces in 1949.
