The Chinese military launched extensive drills across the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan on Tuesday, deploying an aircraft carrier battle group as part of its ongoing warnings against Taiwan’s pursuit of formal independence.
According to Shi Yi, spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, the joint exercises involve naval, air, ground, and rocket forces.
He described the drills as a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence.” Unlike previous operations, no official designation or prior announcement was made for the exercises.
Beijing maintains that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must eventually come under its control, by force if necessary.
However, the majority of Taiwan’s population supports maintaining its de facto independence and democratic governance.
Any escalation of conflict could draw in the United States, which has security commitments in the region and treats threats to Taiwan as a matter of “grave concern.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported tracking 19 Chinese naval vessels in the surrounding waters between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The ministry also noted continuous monitoring of the aircraft carrier Shandong since Saturday, confirming that its carrier group had entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. While China does not recognize this zone, such incursions are frequent.
Taiwanese officials have recently cautioned that military drills could serve as a cover for a surprise attack.
“I want to say these actions amply reflect (China’s) destruction of regional peace and stability,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated. The Taiwanese government has established a central response group to closely observe the situation, he added.
In Taipei, residents acknowledged the heightened tensions but expressed greater concern over economic issues and political developments in the United States.
Lin Hui-tsung, a noodle vendor in the Tianmu district, remarked, “The Chinese Communists spend so much time and effort on these things, but most people don’t pay much attention.”
Additionally, China’s Coast Guard announced a “law enforcement patrol” near Taiwan on Tuesday, as confirmed by spokesperson Zhu Anqin.
The latest drills follow a major military exercise conducted in mid-March, during which Beijing dispatched numerous drones and naval vessels toward the island.
Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office specifically attributed the military exercises to the policies of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, a staunch advocate of Taiwan’s self-governance.
“Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called ‘17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments,” the Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement Tuesday. “We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.”
In March, Lai introduced a 17-point security strategy, which includes trying espionage cases in military courts and imposing stricter immigration rules for Chinese nationals seeking permanent residency.
His stance appears to have provoked a strong reaction from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose previous intimidation tactics have had limited impact on Taiwanese public sentiment.
China’s PLA also circulated propaganda videos portraying Lai as a green parasite “poisoning” the island with smaller parasites. One such video depicts Lai’s head attached to a worm-like body, with chopsticks lifting him onto a flame set over Taiwan.
China persistently sends warplanes and naval vessels near Taiwan in an attempt to exhaust its defenses and demoralize its people.
Over the years, these operations have escalated from isolated incursions to coordinated maneuvers involving multiple aircraft, drones, and ships.
“The PLA organized naval and air forces to practice subjects such as sea and land strikes, focusing on testing the troops’ ability to carry out precision strikes on some key targets of the Taiwan authorities from multiple directions,” Zhang Chi, a professor at China’s National Defense University, explained in an interview with Chinese state television.
While Taiwan and China have remained politically separate since their split 76 years ago, tensions have intensified significantly since 2016, when Beijing severed most forms of communication with Taipei.
