A Chinese military helicopter flies over tourists at an observation point over the Taiwan Strait, on Pingtan Island, the closest point to Taiwan, in China’s southeastern Fujian province.
Greg Baker | afp | beautiful pictures
Forty-two Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday as China began drills around Taiwan in anger ahead of President Xi Jinping’s meeting. President Tsai Ing-wen with the speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
The three-day exercise, announced a day after Tsai Ing-wen returned from the United States, was widely expected after China condemned her Wednesday meeting with President Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
China considers democratically administered Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to control the island. The Taiwanese government strongly opposes China’s claim.
Beijing’s announcement also comes just hours after China hosted a visit by senior European leaders.
The People’s Liberation Army said it had begun combat readiness patrols and “Common Sword” exercises around Taiwan, having previously said it would keep them in the Taiwan Strait and in the east. north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”.
“This is a grave warning to Taiwan independence separatists and the collusion and provocations of outside forces, and necessary action to protect national sovereignty and integrity,” he said. territory,” the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday morning that it had detected 42 Chinese fighter jets – J-10s, J-11s and J-16s, crossing the middle line that normally act as air attackers. official between the two sides, as well as 8 Chinese ships.
The ministry said in a statement that China was using Tsai’s visit to the US “as an excuse to conduct military exercises, which have seriously damaged peace, stability and security”. regional security”.
“The military will respond with a calm, reasonable and serious attitude, and will guard and monitor according to the principle of ‘no escalation and dispute’ to protect national sovereignty and national security. .”
Situation ‘as expected’
China has threatened unspecified retaliation if a meeting with McCarthy – who is second in the line of succession to the US president, after the vice president – takes place. Beijing held exercises around Taiwan, including live-fire missile launches, in August after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with regional security planning told Reuters that the plane only briefly crossed the median line, while the ships turned back, unlike in the past. August when ships of the two navies confronted each other.
The situation is “as expected” and manageable, and the Taiwanese government has rehearsed various scenarios in response, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the public. the media.
Reuters reporters in a coastal area near Fuzhou, across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, saw a Chinese warship firing shells at an exercise area off the Chinese coast, part of the exercise announced by China late on Friday.
Tsai, who hosted a Saturday lunch with a delegation of US lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said she looked forward to strengthening security cooperation with the United States.
“I would like to reiterate that the people of Taiwan love democracy and seek peace,” she said, without directly referring to the exercise in comments in front of television cameras.
Tsai has repeatedly offered to negotiate with China but was rejected because the government considers her a separatist. She said only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary on Saturday that the government has “strong ability to prevent any form of independence secession”. of Taiwan.”
“All countermeasures taken by the Chinese government belong to China’s lawful and legitimate right to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
Diplomacy and maneuvers
Unlike in August, China has yet to announce whether it will hold missile exercises. When China announced the drills earlier, it released a map showing the sea areas near Taiwan that it would fire on.
The security source said April is the time when China usually conducts military exercises.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at an event with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on April 5, 2023 .
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
Taiwanese officials had expected a less severe reaction to the McCarthy meeting, as it took place in the United States, but they have said they cannot rule out the possibility of China holding more exercises .
China’s announcement came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron left China, where he met President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders. Macron urged Beijing to talk rationally with Russia about the war in Ukraine.
European Union head Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, said stability in the Taiwan Strait was paramount.
Mr. Xi responded by saying that expecting China to compromise on the Taiwan issue was “fantasy”, according to China’s official announcement of the meeting.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense, which also makes announcements about exercises around Taiwan, posted photos on its homepage of Xi meeting Macron and von der Leyen on its homepage.
A Taiwanese security source said China’s recent efforts to attract foreign leaders were futile following the announcement of the drills.
“After the announcement of the exercises in the strait, all those efforts disappeared overnight and became a wasted effort.”
