Taiwan alerts fighter jets and puts missile, naval and land units on high alert for Chinese military exercises

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan on Thursday alerted fighter jets and put missile, naval and land units on high alert for Chinese military exercises taking place around the self-ruled island democracy, where a new president took office this week.

The Chinese military said the two-day drills around Taiwan were a punishment for separatist forces seeking independence. Beijing claims the island is part of Chinese territory, and the People’s Liberation Army sends warships and fighter jets into the Taiwan Strait and other areas around the island almost daily to weaken Taiwan’s defenses and intimidate a population that is firmly behind de facto independence.

China’s “irrational provocation has endangered peace and stability in the region,” the island’s defense ministry said. Taiwan will not seek conflict, but will not “shun one” either.

“This pretext for conducting military exercises not only does not contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also demonstrates its hegemonic nature,” the ministry said in a statement.

In his inaugural speech on Monday, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te called on Beijing to stop its military intimidation attempts and promised not to “give in or provoke” the leadership of the mainland’s Communist Party.

“In the face of external challenges and threats, we will continue to uphold the values ​​of freedom and democracy,” Lai told sailors and senior security officials on Thursday as he visited a naval base in Taoyuan, south of the capital Taipei.

Without directly addressing China’s moves, he said international society is concerned about Taiwan’s security, likely reflecting Taiwan’s key role in supply chains for the most advanced computer chips while also providing a democratic bulwark against China’s attempts to assert its control over the Asia-Pacific region.

Lai has said he wants to maintain dialogue with Beijing while maintaining Taiwan’s current status and avoiding conflicts that could draw the island’s most important ally, the United States, and other regional partners such as Japan and Australia.

The Nationalist Party, which is generally considered pro-Chinese, also condemned Beijing’s actions.

The Nationalists, also known as the KMT, called on “the other side across the Taiwan Strait” to “exercise restraint, stop unnecessary maneuvers, avoid conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and … maintain peace and development between the sides.”

Tensions on Thursday arose amid protests outside Taiwan’s parliament against efforts by the nationalists and their allies to use their narrow majority to push through legislation that could affect the military budget as well as key judicial and other appointments.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said on its official Weibo account that the land, naval and air exercises around Taiwan are designed to test the naval and air capabilities of PLA units, as well as their joint attack capabilities to hit targets and gain control of the battlefield.

“This is both an effective punishment for separatist forces seeking ‘independence’ and a stern warning to external forces that advocate interference and provocation,” the statement said.

The PLA also released a map of the planned exercise area, which surrounds Taiwan’s main island at five different points, as well as locations such as Matsu and Kinmen, offshore islands closer to mainland China than Taiwan.

The Chinese coast guard also said in a statement that it had organized a fleet to conduct law enforcement exercises near two islands close to the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and Matsu archipelagos, just off the Chinese coast.

While China describes the exercises as punishment for Taiwan’s election results, the Democratic Progressive Party has governed the island for more than a decade, even though the Nationalist Party only has a one-seat majority in parliament.

In a speech in Australia, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, deputy commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, called on Asia-Pacific countries to condemn the Chinese military exercises.

“It is no surprise that every time there is an action that puts Taiwan in the spotlight on the international stage, the Chinese feel compelled to make some kind of statement,” Sklenka told the National Press Club of Australia in the capital Canberra, referring to the presidential inauguration on Monday.

“Just because we expect this behavior doesn’t mean we shouldn’t condemn it, and we need to condemn it publicly. And it has to come from us, but I believe it also has to come from the nations in the region. It’s one thing for the United States to condemn the Chinese, but I believe it has a far stronger impact when it comes from nations in this region,” Sklenka added.

Japan’s top envoy made the remarks during his visit to the United States, saying Japan and Taiwan share values ​​and principles, including freedom, democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law.

“(Taiwan) is our extremely important partner with whom we maintain close economic relations and people-to-people exchanges, and it is our valuable friend,” Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters in Washington, where she held talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

She said the two ministers discussed Taiwan and the importance of maintaining peaceful access to the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

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Associated Press reporters Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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