China ‘simulates’ attack on island

Chinese military aircraft

China’s Eastern Command confirmed that “assault skills” had been practiced.

(Photo: Reuters)

Taipei/Beijing/Manila China continued its large-scale maneuvers around Taiwan on Sunday morning. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen condemned the drills as an “irresponsible threat” not only in the Taiwan Strait Straits but also to the region as a whole.

As Taiwan’s military reported in Taipei, 20 Chinese military aircraft and 14 warships took part in the exercises the day before. According to the military, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army “simulated” an attack on the democratic island state.

Chinese drones have also been observed again over the offshore Taiwanese island of Kinmen, which is only ten kilometers from the port city of Xiamen on the Chinese coast. According to experts, there had been no overflight of the island, also known as Quemoy, since the 1950s.

In response to the offensive drills, Taiwan’s military sent planes, radio warnings and mobilized missile defense systems to pursue the Chinese planes, the Defense Ministry in Taipei said. Numerous military machines and warships have operated near Taiwan. Some of them would have crossed the unofficial but mostly respected cross-strait center line.

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The US warned that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are affecting the entire region. During a visit to Manila, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pointed out that nearly 90 percent of the world’s largest ships pass through the 130-kilometer-wide strait that separates the mainland and Taiwan each year.

Chinese military

The armed forces are conducting test maneuvers off the coast of Taiwan.

(Photo: AP)

China had started the maneuvers announced by Sunday in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. It was the highest-ranking visit from the United States in a quarter of a century.

China is angry because it claims Taiwan as its own. It sees the island as part of the People’s Republic and vehemently rejects official contacts from other countries with Taiwan. However, the island has long seen itself as independent.

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The military exercises aim at a sea and air blockade and serve to prepare for a possible invasion. As a further response, China suspended dialogue with the US on climate protection and through several military channels. Cooperations such as in the fight against crime, drugs and the repatriation of people who have entered the country illegally have been canceled entirely. Additionally, Beijing imposed unspecified sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members.

US Secretary of State Blinken called the Chinese response in Manila “irresponsible”. The exposed military channels are “crucial to prevent communication breakdowns and crises”.

“Attacking skills” had been practiced

At the peak of the maneuvers on Thursday, China’s air force had flown more than 100 missions with fighter jets, bombers, early warning and tanker aircraft and other military aircraft, according to the Eastern Command of the People’s Liberation Army. Eleven ballistic missiles were also launched from the mainland. According to press reports, one of them flew near the capital and thus for the first time directly over Taiwan.

After initially practicing for a sea and air blockade, the Chinese armed forces simulated an attack on the island on Saturday, according to Taiwanese sources. China’s Eastern Command confirmed that “assault skills” had been practiced. According to Chinese experts, the maneuvers also serve to prepare for an invasion of the island, which has a population of 23 million.

Taiwan’s president wrote on Facebook that the country’s frontline forces continue to protect national security while the diplomatic team briefs the international community on Taiwan’s determination to defend its sovereignty, democracy and freedom.

Taiwan’s highest representative in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was quoted as saying, “We don’t want war. We want peace. We will do everything we can to de-escalate. But we will not surrender our freedom.”

More: A war over Taiwan would have a completely different dimension than the Ukraine war

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