The Chinese military conducted drills around Taiwan on Saturday, characterizing it as a “storm warning” against “separatists and foreign forces.”
The timing of these drills coincided with Taiwanese Vice President William Lai’s visit to the United States this week.
According to a spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command, the drills involved the coordination of vessels and aircraft in the waters and airspace to the north and southwest of Taiwan.
“By 6 a.m. today, 9 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected,” stated Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense on X (formerly known as Twitter). “R.O.C. Armed Forces have taken note of the situation and have deployed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems in response.”
The ministry further reported that it detected a total of 42 Chinese military aircraft, with 26 of them crossing the midline of the Taiwan Strait, an undefined boundary between the island and China. Additionally, eight vessels participated in the joint combat patrol.
These drills are consistent with China’s previous actions of military intimidation in response to perceived provocations from its rivals. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has historically acted aggressively when it suspects moves towards Taiwan’s independence or the strengthening of its rivals.
Prior to a summit between President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea, China also displayed similar force. Japan’s Defense Ministry reported the sighting of 11 ships from China and its ally Russia crossing between the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako on Thursday. Furthermore, the ministry alerted that it had scrambled fighter jets after observing two Russian IL-38 reconnaissance aircraft repeatedly flying over the Tsushima Strait in southwestern Japan.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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