Taiwan said on Tuesday that it was facing a massive naval deployment from China near its waters. It is even more important than the one launched in August 2022 in response to the visit to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the American House of Representatives.
ATS
A senior security official told AFP that “nearly 90” vessels were deployed in the waters of the East and South China Seas, as well as in the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from the continent. This number is higher than that of the 2022 maneuvers, according to the spokesperson for the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.
On August 2, 2022, Ms. Pelosi went to Taiwan for a visit which sparked fury from Beijing. China considers that the Taiwanese archipelago is one of its provinces that it has not yet managed to bring back into its fold since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. It does not exclude the use of force to achieve this, and considers any visit to Taiwan by senior foreign officials as a provocation.
Air restrictions
In response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit, Beijing mobilized combat planes, helicopters and warships to simulate a blockade of Taiwan, carrying out “attack exercises against targets at sea”, the report then reported. official agency New China These maneuvers were the first to be organized so close to Taiwan, up to a minimum of 20 kilometers from its coasts.
They also took place in the east of the island, in a vital area for the supply of Taiwanese military forces. China also launched ballistic missiles during these exercises, shots condemned by Washington.
Before putting forward a higher number than in 2022, Taiwanese authorities had already reported the detection of 47 Chinese planes and 12 military ships near the island over a period of 24 hours until 6:00 a.m. Tuesday. This was the highest since Chinese military maneuvers to encircle the territory in October, when a record 153 planes were spotted close to Taiwan in one day.
The latest Chinese deployments come days after the end of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s Pacific tour, which sparked strong protests from Beijing. They also come the day after China imposed vast air restrictions off its east coast.
“High” alert status
In response, the Taiwanese authorities announced to initiate “combat preparation maneuvers” and place their armed forces on “high” alert, after detecting Chinese military ships and coast guards near the island.
In the process, Beijing said it wanted to “firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, describing Taiwan as an “inalienable” part of China.
The Pacific tour by Mr. Lai, described as a “dangerous separatist” by Beijing, was his first trip abroad since taking office in May. This trip notably took him to two American territories, Hawaii and Guam, where several strategic military bases are located.
It aimed to strengthen international support for Taiwan, as Beijing seeks to tilt its few remaining allies to its side and opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign countries.
Mr. Lai notably spoke by telephone with the Speaker of the American House of Representatives Mike Johnson during this tour, arousing the ire of Beijing. China in response urged the United States to “stop sending bad signals” to “Taiwanese independence forces”.
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