Recently, China held its most expansive military drills of the year around Taiwan, just a few days after Lai-Ching Te took over as the island’s new president.
The drills on Thursday were intended to “serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a military spokesman.
The “external references” line here likely refers to the United States, Taiwan’s main military backer. President Joe Biden has often said that the US would do anything to defend the democracy of 23 million people if attacked, while China has promised to bring the island country under its control, by force if necessary as well.
The military exercise by China raised pressure on Lai, who took office on the island and made the bulk of the world’s most advanced chips. He has recently said in his inaugural address that China should drop its threat of war, and neighter side of the strait was subordinate to the other.
China has already signaled its displeasure with Lai taking control of the office, saying his speech “sent a dangerous signal of seeking independence.” The country also criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for congratulating Lai, sanctioning a former US congressman who supported Taipei, and hitting US defense companies with symbolic sanctions.
China’s military drills add to the complications for the new government in Taipei. Opposition lawmakers are now pushing through changes to the law that are aimed towards reining in its powers, bringing thousands of people onto the streets of Tuesday night. Those demonstrations are likely to continue on Friday when the legislature takes its next step forward on the changes.
The Chinese drills were carried out in the Taiwan Strait: north, south, east of Taiwn., and around the offshore islands of Kinmen, Wuqiu, Matsu, and Dongyin, Xinhua said.
Although it’s not clear how many ships and planes were involved in the process, China’s military has not held exercises in so many locations around Taiwan since April of last year.
