China launches military exercises around Taiwan

On Saturday, August 19, China staged military exercises around Taiwan as a “severe warning,” according to state media, after the island’s vice president made a stop in the United States.

William Lai, the favorite in next year’s Taiwanese presidential election and an outspoken opponent of Beijing’s claims to the island, returned Friday from a trip to Paraguay that included stops in New York and San Francisco.

China reacted angrily to these US positions and asserted on Saturday that Mr. Lai was a “troublemaker”, promising “stern warnings about the complicity and provocations of Taiwanese separatists with foreign elements”.

Taiwan said it had detected 42 incursions of Chinese military aircraft into its air defense zone “since 0900 (0100 GMT)” on Saturday, August 19, adding that eight Chinese ships also took part in the maneuvers. The island’s defense ministry said in a statement that of these raids, 26 warplanes crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait.

“irrational and provocative behavior”

According to the official New China Agency, these exercises are intended to test the ability of Chinese ships and aircraft to “dominate air and sea space” and fight “in real conditions”. The agency added that they were “stern warnings against the complicity and provocations of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists with foreign elements.”

A video posted by the Chinese military on social media on Saturday shows uniformed soldiers running across a military facility and fighter jets soaring above the clouds to the sound of music.

Taiwan strongly condemned “this irrational and provocative behavior” and promised to send “appropriate forces to respond (…) to defend Taiwan’s freedom, democracy and sovereignty.”

For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced that “conducting a military maneuver (…) under a false pretext not only contributes to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights the Chinese military mentality.