The government of Taiwan announced this Monday, December 9, 2024, that its armed forces have been placed on “high” alert after China imposed vast air restrictions off its east coast.
Taiwan’s armed forces were placed on alert on Monday “high” after China imposed extensive air restrictions off its east coast.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) established “seven airspace restriction zones in the eastern regions of Zhejiang and Fujian”two Chinese provinces located opposite Taiwan, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said in a press release.
These restrictions, he added, are in effect from Monday to Wednesday. Taipei also announced that it had detected Chinese military and coast guard vessels sailing near the Taiwan Strait and in the Pacific Ocean.
In response, the Taiwanese authorities announced that they would initiate “combat preparation maneuvers” and place their armed forces on alert “high”.
In its press release, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense indicated that it had “engaged in combat readiness maneuvers that take into account enemy threats, weather conditions and tactical positioning”.
In the process, Beijing said it wanted “firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity”describing Taiwan as part “inalienable” of China.
These Chinese air restrictions and the presence of Chinese military ships near Taiwan come a few days after the end of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s tour in the Pacific.
It was Mr. Lai’s first trip abroad since taking office in May. This tour was strongly condemned by Beijing, which opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign countries.
“Unusual movements”
On Monday, the Taiwanese coast guard said it had detected “unusual movements” on the part of seven Chinese coast guard vessels since Friday, the last day of Mr. Lai’s tour in the Pacific.
“Any unilateral and irrational provocative act could seriously undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and is not desired by the international community”warned the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense on Monday.
Mr. Lai’s trip sparked strong protests from Beijing, and fueled speculation about a possible response from China.
According to Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei, China’s air restrictions can serve two purposes: “missile testing and simulation of no-fly zones, which represent a state of blocked airspace”.
Mr. Lai’s tour of the Pacific took him to two American territories, Hawaii and Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States where several strategic military bases are located.
During this trip abroad, Mr. Lai notably spoke by telephone with the Speaker of the American House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, arousing the ire of Beijing.
In response, China urged the United States to “stop sending bad signals” to “Taiwanese independence forces”.
Beijing had also warned Taiwan against any attempt to “aim for independence with the help of the United States”asserting that it would “obviously a failure”.
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.
