China’s state broadcaster CCTV released a map on Monday showing several large red blocks around Taiwan. The exercises are said to have taken place in these areas. In the evening (local time), a statement said, “The PLA Eastern Theater Command has successfully completed the ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ exercise and fully tested the integrated joint operation capability of its troops.”
Among other things, the troops trained in “attacking targets by sea and land”. At the same time, according to Beijing, four groups of coast guard ships conducted “inspections” around Taiwan. A Coast Guard graphic showed the four formations circling Taiwan and moving counterclockwise around the island. According to Taiwanese intelligence, ships briefly entered an exclusion zone in the waters off the island.
AP/Taiwan Coast Guard
“Joint Sword-2024B” was successfully completed, Beijing announced
Second maneuver within a few months
It was China’s fourth large-scale military exercise around Taiwan in two years, the last of which took place in May. The exercises are “in accordance with the law based on the one-China principle,” said Chinese coast guard spokesman Liu Dejun. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense condemned the military exercise as “irrational and provocative behavior” by Beijing. In response, he activated “appropriate troops” “to defend freedom and democracy and protect Taiwan’s sovereignty.”
The island has been self-governing under the name of the Republic of China since 1949, but today only a few states recognize it as independent out of respect for the People’s Republic of China. Beijing has long openly threatened to unite the island, which has a population of more than 23 million, with the mainland, using military force if necessary.
APA/AFP/Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army in China
The red blocks mark the areas where the exercises were performed
The President’s speech as motivation
The pressure increased again recently after Lai Ching-te, another critic from China, won the presidential election in Taiwan in January. The Communist Party in Beijing accuses Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of separatism.
The exercises are believed to be in response to a speech Lai gave on Taiwan National Day on October 10. In the speech, the president of Taiwan reiterated that he would oppose “annexation” by Beijing. He stressed that Taiwan is not “subordinate” to China. China then warned that Lai’s “provocation” would lead to “disaster” for the Taiwanese people.
The United States, which is allied with Taiwan, described China’s military actions as “unjustified” and warned of an escalation. They also called on Beijing to exercise restraint. A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called on “all parties to exercise restraint” and “avoid any actions that could increase tensions on both sides of the Straits.”
Taiwanese employees of Foxconn were arrested in China
Meanwhile, local authorities arrested four Taiwanese employees at a Chinese factory that makes products for Apple late last week, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported. The employees worked at a complex in Zhengzhou operated by Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group and were charged with a similar offense of breach of trust.
IMAGO/CFOTO
Foxconn plays a key role in making iPhones and other products for Apple
The Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official organization in Taiwan that oversees relations with mainland China, quoted Foxconn as saying the company suffered no financial harm from the employees’ actions. The council described the allegations as bizarre and said the circumstances were “quite strange”. He called on the Chinese authorities to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation into the matter.
Death penalty for “independence fanatics”
The move came after China announced new rules in the middle of the year for what it calls “Thai independence fanatics” that would have carried the death penalty. Taiwanese government sources said the measures would threaten “many Taiwanese working in the People’s Republic.”
Taiwan has repeatedly warned its citizens to be aware of the potential dangers of staying in China. According to the Straits Exchange Institute, there have been 77 cases of Taiwanese disappearances in mainland China since the beginning of the year, mostly in relation to allegations of fraud.