By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Potential Flashpoint

Beijing has increased the deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its claim of sovereignty, which Taipei rejects. China deployed 21 warships around the island, including the Shandong aircraft carrier group, along with 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels, Taiwan's defense ministry said.

Tensions between China and Taiwan – which are separated by the 180-kilometer Taiwan Strait – have escalated since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024. Chinese leaders loathe Lai, who has been more outspoken than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending Taiwan's sovereignty. Last month, Lai called China a "foreign hostile force" and proposed measures to combat Chinese espionage and infiltration.

April 1's exercises were aimed at sending a "stern warning and forceful deterrence" to alleged separatists in Taiwan, Beijing said. They involved "sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes," said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command. Beijing's armed forces "close in on Taiwan Island from multiple directions," he said.

The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command – which oversees operations along the Taiwan Strait – shared a graphic with the title "closing in." Another graphic shared by the military depicted Lai as an insect being roasted over an open fire. And a video shared by the military on X-like Weibo showed footage of weapons interspersed with animations of Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West".

 

Potential Flashpoint

This week's drills are the biggest since February, when Taipei said that China staged a "live-fire" combat drill with aircraft and warships in an area about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) off the island's south. Taiwan's military responded by sending forces to "monitor, alert and respond appropriately" – though officials in Taiwan have said no actual firing took place. Beijing, at the time, rejected "pure hype" from Taiwan over what it called "routine training."

China has carried out multiple drills around the island in recent years, often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory. Analysts have speculated that China was more likely to attempt a blockade of Taiwan than launch an all-out invasion, which was riskier and would require a huge military deployment.

Taiwan is a potential flashpoint for conflict between China and the United States, which is the island's most important backer and biggest arms supplier. While the United States is legally bound to provide arms to Taiwan – which Beijing opposes – Washington has long maintained "strategic ambiguity" when it comes to whether it would deploy its military to defend it from a Chinese attack.

The drills come after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in Japan on Sunday that the United States would ensure "deterrence" across the Taiwan Strait and called Beijing "aggressive".

China opposes US support for Taiwan, which Beijing insists is part of its territory, and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.

Beijing has increased the deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its claim of sovereignty, which Taipei rejects.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have escalated since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024.

Beijing's leaders loathe Lai, who last month called China a "foreign hostile force" and proposed measures to combat growing Chinese espionage and infiltration.

Tuesday's exercises were aimed at sending a "stern warning and forceful deterrence" to alleged separatists in Taiwan, Beijing said.

They involved "sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes", said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command.

Beijing's armed forces "close in on Taiwan Island from multiple directions", he said.

The drills also involved training for "multi-directional precision strikes", the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.

China deployed 21 warships around the island, including the Shandong aircraft carrier group, along with 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels in the drills, Taiwan's defense ministry said.

No live fire had been detected, it said. It was the highest number of warships detected in a single day since May last year when 27 navy vessels were reported, and the most aircraft since the 153 detected in October, according to an AFP tally of the ministry's figures.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have escalated since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024.

Beijing's leaders loathe Lai, who last month called China a "foreign hostile force" and proposed measures to combat growing Chinese espionage and infiltration.

Tuesday's exercises were aimed at sending a "stern warning and forceful deterrence" to alleged separatists in Taiwan, Beijing said.

They involved "sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes", said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command.

Beijing's armed forces "close in on Taiwan Island from multiple directions", he said.

The drills also involved training for "multi-directional precision strikes", the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.

A video shared by the military on X-like Weibo showed footage of weapons interspersed with animations of Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West".

The video climaxes with Chinese forces appearing to use satellites to mark targets across Taiwan, before ending with a flurry of rocket explosions while multiple Monkey Kings attack a giant frog monster.

A graphic shared by the military depicted Lai as an insect being roasted over an open fire.

"(Taiwan) authorities' stubborn persistence with the Taiwan independence stance and their futile attempt to split the country from outside by seeking independence... is doomed to fail," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing.

Taiwan's Presidential Office condemned "China's escalatory behavior", and Premier Cho Jung-tai said, "resorting to displays of military force is not what modern, progressive societies should pursue".

- Potential flashpoint -

China has carried out multiple large-scale exercises around the island in recent years, often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory.

Analysts have speculated that China was more likely to attempt a blockade of Taiwan than launch an all-out invasion, which was riskier and would require a huge military deployment.

Taipei military expert Su Tzu-yun told AFP the drills appeared to be of similar size to the "Joint Sword" exercises in May and October.

Holding drills straight after Hegseth's visit to the Asia-Pacific region showed China was testing the Trump administration, said Lin Ying-yu of Tamkang University.

"China wants to test the US's bottom line ahead of a Trump-Xi summit through military exercises," Lin told AFP.

Taiwan -- a powerhouse in semiconductor chip manufacturing -- is a potential flashpoint for conflict between China and the United States, which is the island's most important security partner.

While the United States is legally bound to provide arms to Taiwan, Washington has long maintained "strategic ambiguity" when it comes to whether it would deploy its military to defend the island from a Chinese attack.

There have been concerns about US President Donald Trump's willingness to protect Taiwan. Last month he said a Chinese invasion of the island would be "catastrophic".

The dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang nationalist forces fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war with Mao Zedong's communist fighters.

Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country but has stopped short of declaring formal independence, which is a red line for Beijing.

 

 

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