China launches military maneuvers around Taiwan

2023-08-19 10:39:01

By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted 7 hours ago, Updated 20 minutes ago

Vice President William Lai is the frontrunner in next year’s Taiwanese presidential election. CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS / REUTERS

A stopover in the United States of the vice-president of the island, William Lai, provoked the ire of Beijing, which considers the island as one of its provinces. Since the launch of the maneuvers, Taiwan has detected 42 Chinese military aircraft incursions into its air defense zone.

China launched military maneuvers around Taiwan on Saturday August 19 as a “severe warningaccording to state media, after protesting against a stopover in the United States by the island’s vice president, William Lai. “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Zone Command on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and navy and air force military drills around the island of Taiwan.“Wrote the official New China Agency, quoting army spokesman Shi Yi.

These maneuvers are intended to test the ability of Chinese ships and aircraft.to take control of the air and sea spaces“and to fight”in real conditions», Specifies the official article. They were also to servesevere warnings about separatist collusion “Taiwan separatists”with foreign elements and their provocations“, added the agency.

42 military aircraft incursions

Taiwan said it had detected 42 incursions by Chinese military aircraft into its air defense zone since China announced the launch of military exercises. The island’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it has “detected successively 42» incursions «since 09:00” SATURDAY.

Among these incursions, 26 warplanes crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said. According to the same document, eight Chinese ships also participated in the maneuvers, which according to Beijing aimed to simulate “real combat conditions“. The Taiwanese ministry said that “the national army monitors and uses reconnaissance methods to strictly controlthe situation, adding to have sent planes and ships.

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“Irrational and provocative”

Taiwan has strongly condemnedthis irrational and provocative behaviorand promised to sendthe appropriate forces to respond to it (…) in order to defend the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of Taiwan». «Conducting a military exercise (…) under a false pretense not only does not contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights the (Chinese) militarist mentality and confirms the hegemonic nature of its military expansionthe island’s Department of National Defense said in a statement on Saturday.

Next year’s Taiwanese presidential front-runner William Lai, who has called himself a “pragmatic separatistis Beijing’s pet peeve. The Harvard-educated doctor-turned-politician stopped by New York and San Francisco after a trip to Paraguay, one of the few nations that officially recognize Taiwan.

Taiwan’s foreign minister also accused China of trying toshape» the January 2024 elections in Taiwan, after Beijing launched military exercises around the island. “The PRC has made it clear that it wants to influence the upcoming national elections in Taiwan. It’s up to our citizens to decide, not our tyrannical neighbor“said Joseph Wu, using the acronym of the official name of China, on X (ex-Twitter).

“Transit” through American soil

This trip aroused the anger of China, which opposes any official contact between Western countries and Taiwan, which it considers to be one of its provinces. Beijing believes that these contacts legitimize the Taiwanese authorities and undermine its claims of sovereignty over the island. Washington had called for calm about the trip of William Lai, who according to Taiwanese authorities was only “transiton American soil before traveling to Paraguay to attend the inauguration of President-elect Santiago Peña.

But on Saturday, an official from the Chinese Communist Party office in charge of Taiwan issues “firmly condemnedWilliam Lai’s journey, calling it “new provocation“with a view to”strengthen collusion with the United States“, according to New China. “The last “stopover” of Mr. Lai (…) was a cover-up which he used to sell Taiwan’s interests in order to obtain gains in local elections through dishonest maneuversthe official said, according to the same article.

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“Troublemaker”

«Mr. Lai’s actions have proven that he is a real troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the brink of war and cause serious problems for Taiwan compatriots.“, continues the press release. William Lai received the nomination from the Democratic Progressive Party to run for president in 2024 and succeed President Tsai Ing-wen, whose second term will end then.

Beijing-Taipei relations soured in 2016 with the arrival of Tsai Ing-wen as president, with Beijing intensifying political and military pressure on the archipelago in recent years. Military planes regularly make incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz). In April, as Tsai Ing-wen met with US Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, China held three days of military exercises simulating a blockade of Taiwan.

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