Air and sea exercises in Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure

Taiwan’s military said it deployed fighter jets, ships and missile defense systems for exercises on Thursday, while its Defense Ministry reported detecting two new Chinese balloons near the island. which took place early in the morning, were intended to test “the response and engagement procedures of air defense units”, the Taiwan Air Force command said in a statement.

“Different types of aircraft, ships and missile defense systems were deployed between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.,” or from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. GMT on Thursday, the statement said, without providing further details.

The last air force exercises took place last June, a month after President Lai Ching-te took office. Mr. Lai, who promised to defend Taiwan’s democracy in the face of Chinese threats and whom Beijing describes as a “dangerous separatist”, is to leave the island on Saturday for his first trip abroad since taking office, according to the presidency .

A stopover in the United States has not been ruled out on the sidelines of this trip which will take the leader to the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu, three micro-states in the Pacific. Taiwan is striving to cultivate its ties with its last allies, whose number continues to dwindle due to pressure from Beijing, which opposes any attempt to give Taipei international legitimacy.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense also reported Thursday that it had detected two Chinese balloons about 110 kilometers northwest of the island on Wednesday. Another Chinese balloon was detected on Sunday in the same area, the first since April. Thirteen planes and seven military ships were also spotted around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949, but Beijing claims the island as an integral part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of it. China regularly deploys fighter jets and ships, occasionally balloons, around Taiwan in what Taipei describes as “gray zone” harassment, a hostile tactic but not open warfare. Taiwan lives under constant threat of Chinese invasion and has increased its military spending in recent years to strengthen its military capabilities. The island has a defense industry but relies heavily on arms sales from Washington, its largest supplier of arms and munitions.