Chinese maneuvers: Taiwanese president promises to “protect a democratic Taiwan” | China

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Monday to “protect a democratic Taiwan” as China carries out large-scale military maneuvers.

“In the face of external threats, I would like to assure my compatriots that the government will continue to uphold the free and democratic constitutional system, protect a democratic Taiwan and safeguard national security,” Lai said in a Facebook post.

The United States, which had warned on Friday against any “provocation” from Beijing towards Taipei after acrimonious exchanges between the two neighbors, denounced “unjustified” operations which represent a “risk of escalation” . Washington has recognized Beijing to the detriment of Taipei as a legitimate power since 1979, but remains Taiwan’s most powerful ally and its main arms supplier.

China called these new exercises “serious warnings” against the “separatist actions of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces.” “Fighters, bombers” and other attack aircraft were deployed, as well as “several destroyers and frigates,” said Chinese public television CCTV.

“Irrational and provocative behavior” from Beijing

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has called a security meeting in the face of these maneuvers which are “in contradiction with international law”, according to security chief Joseph Wu. The exercises, called Joint Sword-2024B, are taking place “in areas to the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan,” explained Captain Li Xi. They “focus on sea-air combat readiness patrols, the blockade of ports and key areas” or even “the assault of maritime and land targets”, he added.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense condemned “irrational and provocative behavior” by Beijing, ensuring that it had “deployed the adequate forces to respond appropriately with the aim of protecting freedom and democracy, as well as to defend the sovereignty” of Taiwan . “Faced with the enemy threat, all the country’s officers and soldiers are ready,” he added in a statement.

Taiwanese army on “heightened alert”

The Taiwanese islands on the outskirts of the main island, such as Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, the latter two located very close to the Chinese coast, have been placed on a state of “heightened alert”, he indicated. An AFP team near Hsinchu Air Base in northern Taiwan saw four fighter jets take off on Monday.

The Chinese coast guard, for its part, explained that it had initiated “inspections of law enforcement in the waters surrounding the island of Taiwan”. The Taiwanese coast guard confirmed the presence of vessels from their Chinese counterparts. “Several boats” crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, in reference to the line, not recognized by Beijing, which cuts the maritime space between the island and mainland China in two, they said in a press release.

China has increased pressure in recent years by increasing its military activity around the island. It has organized three series of large-scale maneuvers over the past two years, using its air force and navy to encircle the island. On Sunday, the Taiwanese army claimed to be “on alert” after detecting the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning to the south of the island.

The arrest of a Chinese national after a possible “intrusion”

The Taiwanese coast guard announced Monday that it had arrested a Chinese national after a possible “intrusion” on one of the islands on the outskirts of Taiwan, in the midst of Chinese military maneuvers around the main island.

“It cannot be ruled out that this clandestine attempt aboard a small boat is an intrusion into a ‘gray zone’ linked to the Chinese military exercise,” the Taiwanese coast guard said in a statement, referring to to this concept of international relations designating hostile maneuvers which do not fall under open war.

Relations between Beijing and Taipei have been execrable since 2016 and the arrival as Taiwanese president of Tsai Ing-wen, then of her successor Lai Ching-te in 2024. Invested in May, Mr. Lai pledged on Thursday to “resist to the Chinese “annexation” of the island or “the encroachment of (its) sovereignty”, during the Taiwanese national day.

Growing indifference among Taipei residents

Beijing, which describes Mr. Lai as a “separatist,” reacted by warning that the Taiwanese president’s “provocations” would lead to a “disaster” for his people. In a video published by Chinese state media, Lt. Col. Fu Zhengnan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, said the exercises could “turn into combat at any time.” “If Taiwan separatists provoke (China) once,” Chinese troops around the island “will take action,” he assured.

“I’m not going to panic too much because they often do maneuvers,” Benjamin Hsiao, a resident of Taipei, responded to AFP. “I’m a little insensitive to it,” added this engineer. Disputes between Beijing and Taipei date back to the long civil war which pitted communist fighters led by Mao Tse-tung against the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek. Defeated by the communists, who founded the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the nationalists took refuge with many civilians in Taiwan, one of the only parts of the national territory then not conquered by the forces of Mao Tse-tung .