The Chinese government’s Taiwan Affairs Office declared on Wednesday that it would maintain vigilance against Taiwan’s independence-seeking factions collaborating with foreign entities, addressing queries about current Chinese military operations near Taiwan.
Chinese spokesperson during a scheduled press conference in Beijing, said that China implements essential actions to protect its national sovereignty and territorial boundaries, while ensuring stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Earlier, Taiwan’s Defence ministry reported that China’s military is conducting undeclared activities near Taiwan. It reported 12 naval vessels and 47 military aircraft within a 24-hour period.
Taiwan’s defence officials at a press conference stated that the current deployment encompasses a broader region, with vessels extending beyond Taiwan into additional Pacific areas.
Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng explained that China’s navy is establishing dual barriers – one surrounding Taiwan and another beyond the first island chain, stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines. “The message they are sending is very simple: The Taiwan Strait is ours,” he said.
Taiwan’s forces anticipated potential Chinese exercises following President Lai Ching-te’s recent journey to Hawaii and Guam, a US territory.
China asserts sovereignty over Taiwan and resists the autonomous island’s official interactions with other nations, particularly the United States. During his Guam visit, Lai communicated with US congressional leaders via telephone. Although the US, like most nations, lacks formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, it remains the island’s primary military supplier for its 23 million inhabitants.
With China not announcing formal military exercises, Taiwanese officials categorise the ongoing activities as training. Hsieh indicated that training activities could evolve into exercises, which could potentially lead to conflict.
“It’s in the status of regular training. But under the status of normalised training, it’s able to mobilize military forces on such a large scale and carry out exercises in such a large area,” he explained.
China, regarding Lai as a separatist, conducted substantial military exercises near Taiwan after his May inauguration and October National Day address. Similar exercises occurred following the 2022 Taiwan visit of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military established an emergency response centre on Monday, reacting to increased Chinese naval presence and announced flight restrictions in seven zones off China’s eastern coastline, effective until Wednesday.
“We have noticed that there are no live-fire drill activities in the seven exercise areas as planned in the past,” said Hsieh, who oversees the intelligence division of the deputy chief of general staff’s office.
