China’s chilling new escalation against Taiwan sparks fresh fears of all-out war
China has escalated fresh fears of a major conflict with Taiwan with large-scale air and sea war-gaming exercises, and has deployed one of its deadliest aircraft carrier battle groups – Beijing’s so-called ‘rocket forces’ and land-launched attack aircraft – sending alarm across the island.
The military air and sea drills dominating the airspace and waters around the threatened and self-governed island of Taiwan have sparked fresh invasion fears, but Beijing officials say they are a serious warning against it seeking formal independence. Now Taiwan’s defence forces have been placed on high-alert for China’s next military move against it.
They also follow what appears in recent months to be China preparing scores of special sea-going barges which could transport large numbers of troops for an invasion on Taiwan. The island’s administration has long-feared China could use a military exercise to launch a sneak attack, as Russia did when it invaded Ukraine from its border “exercises” and Belarus.
But China has merely warned the military manoeuvres are aimed at “punishing” and clamping down on Taiwan for its president’s strong independence stance. Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, said the joint exercises are a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the exercises were directed at Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s strongly pro-independence president. It said: “Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a `Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a `foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called “17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments. We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.”
In an unusual move by Beijing’s military no operational name for the drills was announced or previous notice given. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The military also said it had been tracking the movement of the Shandong aircraft carrier since Saturday and that its carrier group had entered into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. This is a self-defined area which alerts Taiwan of an incoming threat from fighter jets and is an area from where it has warned China could attack, using an exercise as cover.
Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo warned: “I want to say these actions amply reflect the destruction of regional peace and stability.” The drills come just two weeks after a large-scale exercise in mid-March, when Beijing sent a large number of deadly drones and attack ships toward the island.
As The Mirror’s Defence and Security Editor I have covered war and terror at home and abroad for more than 20 years.
It has taken me to fascinating places such as Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, elsewhere in the Middle East, across Africa and even Korea.
I have also spent months in Ukraine reporting on Russia’s invasion. If you want exclusive analysis, please sign up for my newsletter below.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de-facto independence and democratic status. Any conflict could bring in the U.S., which maintains a series of alliances in the region and is legally bound to treat threats to Taiwan as a matter of “grave concern.”
Taiwan has set up a central response group to monitor the latest exercises. On The streets of Taipei, people said the atmosphere was tense but they were more concerned about the economy and developments surrounding the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Lin Hui-tsung, a noodle seller in the city’s Tiananmu district, said: “The Chinese Communists spends so much time and effort on these things but most people don’t pay much attention.” China’s Coast Guard also announced it was conducting a “law enforcement patrol” on Tuesday around Taiwan, its spokesperson Zhu Anqin said.
In mid-March, Taiwan’s Lai put forward a 17-point strategy aimed at shoring up Taiwan’s national security. The points include allowing espionage cases to be tried by military courts and making immigration rules stricter for Chinese citizens applying for permanent residency.
Lai’s words and actions appear to have especially angered Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose previous attempts at intimidation have had little effect on the Taiwanese public.. Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a daily basis, seeking to wear down Taiwanese defences and morale.
But the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people reject its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. In recent years, it has stepped up the scope and scale of these exercises, from sending small numbers of individual fighters and surveillance planes to sending groups of planes, drones and ships.
Zhang Chi, a professor at China’s National Defence University in an interview with Chinese state television, said: “The PLA organised naval and air forces to practise subjects such as sea and land strikes, focusing on testing the troops’ ability to carry out precision strikes on some key targets of the Taiwan authorities from multiple directions. Taiwan and China split amid civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have risen since 2016, when China cut off almost all contacts with Taipei.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.