In this screenshot from a handout video released by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command on Oct. 14, 2024, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier participates in the “Joint Sword-2024B” military exercise east of Taiwan. , Photo courtesy: Reuters
Taiwan detects record 153 Chinese military aircraft Around the self-ruled island, official data showed on Tuesday (Oct 15, 2024), when China held a day of large-scale exercises.
The aircraft were spotted for 25 hours till 6:00 am on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 (2200 GMT Monday) – the most for a single day, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Beijing deployed fighter planes, drones, warships and coast guard boats On Monday (October 14, 2024), Taiwan responded by dispatching “appropriate forces” and putting its outlying islands on high alert.
Taiwan described China’s actions as “irrational and provocative”, and the US called them “unfair”.
Japan said on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) that it has expressed its “concerns” to China over maneuvers and combat aircraft near its southern island of Yonaguni.
“The government is closely following related developments with great interest and has conveyed Japan’s concerns to the Chinese side,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) urged China not to “stir up trouble without cause and become a troublemaker that undermines peace and stability”.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and insisted on Monday (October 14, 2024) that it will never give up using force to bring the island under its control.
Beijing has increased military pressure on Taipei in recent years to acknowledge its claims of sovereignty over the island, and Monday (Oct. 14, 2024) represented the fourth round of large-scale exercises in just two years.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry also recorded 14 Chinese naval vessels in the latest 25-hour period, slightly less than the 17 announced on Monday (October 14, 2024) afternoon.
The data showed that 111 of the spotted planes crossed the center line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait that separates mainland China and Taiwan.
‘Inappropriate’
The United States said on Monday (October 14, 2024) China’s actions were “inappropriate” and risked “escalation” as it called on Beijing to act with restraint.
China said the exercise, named Combined Sword 2024B, was conducted in areas in the north, south and east of Taiwan. Beijing announced their end at around 6 pm on Monday (October 14, 2024), about 13 hours after they started.
China said the drills served as a “strong warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces”.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, has been more vocal than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, angering Beijing, which calls him a “separatist.”
In his National Day speech on Thursday (Oct 10, 2024), Lai vowed to “resist annexation” and stressed that Beijing and Taipei are “not subordinate to each other”.
Lai pledged on Monday (October 14, 2024) to “defend democratic Taiwan and safeguard national security.”
In late May, three days after Lai’s inauguration, China launched Joint Sword-2024A, an apparent precursor to the latest exercise. People in Taipei seemed unimpressed by the exercise.
“Condemning and threatening with military force is not a big deal and we don’t think it is possible that it would attack us with force,” said Lai Chih-wai, a 78-year-old retiree. AFP,
“It’s not there yet. Their actions are like barking dogs.”
The dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to a civil war in which Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist fighters in 1949 and fled to the island.
Since then, China and Taiwan have been ruled separately.
published – October 15, 2024 11:13 PM IST