The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has established “seven airspace restriction zones in the regions east of Zhejiang and Fujian”, two Chinese provinces located opposite Taiwan, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense in a press release. These restrictions, he added, are in effect from Monday to Wednesday.
In the process, Taipei placed its armies on “high” alert. After detecting Chinese ships sailing near the Taiwan Strait and in the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan also engaged in “combat readiness maneuvers.”
“Combat preparation maneuvers”
In its press release, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense indicated that it had “engaged in combat preparation maneuvers that take into account enemy threats, weather conditions and tactical positioning”.
These Chinese air restrictions and the announcement of “combat preparation maneuvers” by Taipei come a few days after the end of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's tour in the Pacific, which had been strongly condemned by Beijing.
China considers that Taiwan is one of its provinces, which it has not yet succeeded in reunifying with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. It does not exclude the use of strength to achieve this.
Lai's Pacific tour was his first overseas trip since taking office in May.
But Beijing opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign countries.
