On Saturday, China launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan aimed at intimidating its authorities, shortly after a meeting between the island’s president and a senior US official angered Beijing. Here’s what you need to know about this process called the Common Sword..
• What is happening around Taiwan?
China has deployed ships, combat aircraft and missiles around the island to send a “A serious warning of collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and external forces”.Army spokesperson Xi Yi warned.
sequel after announcement
The maneuvers include patrols and Simulation of joint precision strikes against key targets. in order to Create a deterrent full encirclement Taiwan, according to Chinese state television CCTV.
“Taiwan area powder keg”
affiliate “tens” J-18 and J-10C fighter jets were mobilized for the operation, along with anti-submarine aircraft. China’s Global Times reported that Beijing has also deployed PHL-191 missile launch systems and YJ-12B surface-to-ship anti-ship missiles.
As of Saturday, the Taiwan Ministry of Defense had spotted nine warships and 71 aircraft around the island. On Sunday, it monitored 11 Chinese warships and 70 aircraft participating in the maneuvers.
• Why did China start this show of force?
China regards Taiwan (23 million people) as a province that has not yet been able to reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
sequel after announcement
Beijing opposes any official contact between Taipei and its foreign governments “One China Principle”. That includes Wednesday’s meeting in California between Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Beijing promised to respond with measures “Determined and energetic”.
Chinese military exercises are part of a broader campaign of pressure on taiwanJa Ian Chong, assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, told AFP. For him, those “High-level meetings allow Beijing to blame Taipei, Washington or others.”.
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• Why did you choose this weekend to start these military exercises?
China waited for Tsai Ing-wen to return to Taiwan to launch “common sword”.
James Schar, a Chinese military expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, notes that Beijing also waited ” end “ A state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to start his training. China is trying ” Heating “ It is believed that its relations with Europe, but it is a military operation against Taiwan “It would hurt this diplomatic opening.”.
sequel after announcement
• What other measures has Beijing taken?
In response to Tsai Ing-wen’s visit, Beijing announced that it would ban Taipei’s de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Pei-Khiem, from entering China and charging him with a crime.“Deliberately inciting confrontation” in the Taiwan Strait.
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The rights of the Washington-based Hudson Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to deal with the Chinese entities have been revoked.
• What are the differences with the previous escalation of tension?
These exercises are reminiscent of what was done in August 2022 in response to the arrival on the island of Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi, who then filled Kevin McCarthy’s seat on the House of Representatives.
Beijing conducted live-fire exercises ten kilometers from the Taiwanese coast, during a similar week-long cordoning campaign. The Chinese authorities have also stopped imports of fruit and fish from the island.
sequel after announcement
This time, China announced live-fire exercises near the coast of Fujian (east), the province facing Taiwan. They are due on Monday.
but, “common sword” It seems “It’s not going to be as big as what we saw during Pelosi’s visit.”says Manoj Kewalramani, a China expert at the Takashila Institute in Bangalore. According to him, the visit of the former US official to Taiwan, while Beijing considers the island part of its territory, was on a completely new level compared to the meeting between Tsai Ing-wen and Kevin McCarthy.
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The economic situation three years after the importance of Covid and Taiwan in this sector may also have a role, according to Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taiwan’s Defense and National Security Research Institute.
“Restoring air and sea routes around Taiwan this year is very important for the economic recovery of neighboring countries and China itself, so military maneuvers should not be intensified.”
Last year’s drills significantly disrupted shipping and air traffic on major trade routes across Taiwan.
