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China completes naval drills surrounding Taiwan
The Chinese military called the operation, which involved hundreds of aircraft and dozens of ships, a response to Taiwan's leader's statements about Taiwan's independence. Foreign media outlets write that pressure from Beijing is gradually increasing, but there is no immediate threat of invasion yet.
“China Launches War Games to Siege Taiwan as Warning to Island’s Leader,” writes the New York Times. This headline can be considered a standard for a recent series of reports on China’s exercises around the island. Most foreign media dryly portray the position of Beijing and Taipei and describe restrained operations. The newspaper itself published, among other things, a statement by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) command of the People’s Republic of China about “punishing” Taiwan for the “separatist activities” of the island’s authorities, which is a counter-statement by a Taiwanese politician. and a statement by the United States about China’s “provocative actions.” Such a critical comment was made.
The BBC (the resource is blocked in Russia) provides facts about the exercises. According to Taiwan's estimates, the PLA has deployed 34 warships and more than 120 aircraft near the island, and has also deployed troops in all four cardinal directions of Taiwan. The Chinese military command has explicitly stated that these exercises are aimed at practicing a possible invasion of the islands using sea, air and land forces. Photos have appeared on the social networks of the China Coast Guard, showing the routes of some ships, depicting a heart-shaped path around Taiwan. Apparently, the symbolic meaning is that Beijing likes the former area so much that it is ready to land its troops there.
Reuters presents a brief history of China's latest military exercises. The previous operation was called "United Sword 2024A" in May last year, and the war game "United Sword 2023" took place last fall. The agency notes that these exercises were a record in terms of the number of troops. At the same time, the number of troops deployed at sea is still several times greater than the official Taiwanese army. Presumably, despite China's threatening rhetoric, the option of a surprise attack on Taiwan during the exercises is currently not being considered. Reuters separately quoted the PLA command as saying that the Taiwanese authorities would face a similar military response if they made any further declarations of independence.
CNN notes that while all of Xi Jinping's predecessors promised to regain control over Taiwan, the current Chinese leader has significantly raised the level of rhetoric. According to the channel's interlocutors, China is working to gradually increase the scale of its maneuvers so that global players can gradually get used to these "gestures of force." At the same time, according to the article, China is not ready to sharply increase the intensity of the confrontation today. This could cause a coordinated response from the West.
Taiwan has called China's actions a provocation. The island's authorities have called an emergency meeting on national security and said the administration is prepared to take action if the exercises have any impact on Taiwan's economy and society.
Last week, Taiwan celebrated Independence Day with a speech by newly elected President Lai Qingde that did not please the Chinese government. The speech said China should recognize Taiwan's independence.