News Mania / Piyal Chatterjee / 14th October 2024
The Taipei and US governments denounced China’s military’s Monday commencement of a fresh round of war simulations close to Taiwan, claiming it was a warning to the “separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces”. China considers democratically controlled Taiwan, which is part of its territory, to be under constant watch for additional war simulations following President Lai Ching-te’s national day address last week. Beijing denounced Lai’s speech for asserting that China has no jurisdiction to represent Taiwan while also extending an invitation of cooperation to Beijing.
“The drill also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity,” it said in a statement
The end date of the drills was not specified by the instruction. A map that showed the nine locations of the drills—two on the east coast, three on the west coast, one in the north, and three on Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast—was released by the organization.
Later, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier and auxiliary ships were confirmed to be operating east of Taiwan by a military statement. It did not, however, declare any no-fly zones or live-fire drills. China fired missiles over Taiwan in 2022, not long after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. Chinese state media reported that China’s coast guard conducted “law enforcement” patrols near Taiwan’s offshore islands and circled the island nation in infrequent operations. The coast guard and Taiwan’s ministry of defense both reported that their respective personnel had been sent into the area, and officials indicated that Lai’s National Security Council had met on Monday to discuss the matter.
Joseph Wu, secretary-general of the National Security Council, claimed that China had disregarded Lai’s benevolent message.
China policy decisions made by Taiwan China’s most recent war simulations and reluctance to give up using force, according to the Mainland Affairs Council, are “blatant provocations” that gravely jeopardize peace and stability in the region.
According to a statement from Taiwan’s presidential office, China needs to accept that Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, exists and accept the island nation’s citizens’ preference for a free and democratic lifestyle.
