Taipei, Taiwan -The Chinese army announced on Tuesday large-scale exercises in waters and airspace around Taiwan which include a group of battle of the aircraft carrier, because it has again warned the self-extent-to-share democracy against the search for formal independence. The joint exercises involve naval, air and rocket forces and are supposed to be a “severe warning and an energetic confinement against Taiwan’s independence”, according to Shi Yi, spokesperson for the oriental theater of the Popular Liberation Army. No operational name for the exercises has been announced or a previous notice.
China consider Taiwan part of its territory, to be carried under its control By force if necessaryWhile most Taiwanese promote their de facto independence and their democratic status. Any conflict could bring the United States, which maintains a series of alliances in the region and is linked to American law to deal with threats to Taiwan as a question of “serious concern”.
The Taiwan presidential office said in a message on the X social media platform that “the flagrant military provocations of China threatened not only peace in Strait #Taiwan but also undergo security throughout the region, as evidenced by exercises near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Philippines and SCs.
The SCS refers to the Southern China Sea, the strategic navigable way that China almost claims in its entirety.
Chinese navy also recently held Exercises near Australia and New Zealand For which he gave no warning, forcing the rehashing of last -minute commercial flights.
The United States focuses on “dissuading the Communist Chinese military assault”
The last exercises of China around Taiwan came a few days after the American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, went to Japan, where he announced a Stimulate the military partnership close to America With the Asian nation aimed directly at countering Chinese “aggression” in the region.
Hegseth, in Tokyo on Sunday, described Japan as a “essential partner” in the deterrent of the Chinese affirmation and announced an upgrade of the American military command in Japan to a new “headquarters of fighting war”. He underlined the need for the United States and Japan to do more to strengthen their military capacities while the region faces a growing affirmation of China in its countless territorial disputes in the region.
“Japan is our essential partner to dissuade the Communist Military Assault Communist,” HegSeth said at the start of his talks with Japan Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo. “The United States moves quickly, as you know, to restore deterrence in this region and in the world.”
Hegseth’s visit came in the middle of Japan on how American engagement in the region could change as part of President Trump’s policy “America First,” said Japanese defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing the protocol. Mr. Trump has threatened to impose commercial prices On Japan, a key United States ally, causing more concern.
The two parties have agreed to accelerate plans to develop and jointly produce missiles such as medium-sized air to air, or MRAAM missiles, and consider producing SM-6 air surface missiles, to help relieve an ammunition shortage, Nakatani said. The ministers have also agreed to accelerate the process involving the maintenance of American warships and war planes in Japan to strengthen and complete the Japanese and American defense industries.
Images Stanislav Kogiku / Sopa / Lightrocket / Getty
There are more than 50,000 American soldiers based in Japan.
Tokyo launched last week the Japan Joint Operations Command, or JJOC, whose mission is to coordinate Japanese, maritime and self-defense forces, in an important action to further strengthen the capacities to respond to contingencies and to cooperate better with the United States
Hegseth announced on Sunday the upgrading of his current command, the American forces of Japan, by placing a unified operational commander to function as a headquarters of the joint force for the connection with his Japanese counterpart to serve as a “headquarters to fight against war” to strengthen the speed and capacities of the joint operations of their troops.
The Pentagon chief described the reorganization of American troops a step to better prepare for a possible conflict. America and Japan both work for peace, he said, but “we have to be prepared”.
The last show of force of China around Taiwan
The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday that he had followed 71 Chinese planes and 21 warships in the air and waters surrounding the island during the Chinese exercise. He added that he had followed the Shandong aircraft carrier movement since Saturday and that his group of carriers had entered the Taiwan air defense identification area, a self-defined area followed by the army.
Reuters / CCTV
China regularly sends military assets to the area, which China does not recognize, but Taiwanese officials recently warned that China could launch a sneaky attack under the cover of military exercises.
“I mean that these actions amply reflect the destruction (of China) of regional peace and stability,” said Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo.
Taiwan has created a central response group to monitor the last years, Koo said.
Daniel Ceng / Anadolu / Getty
The exercises come just two weeks after a large-scale exercise in mid-March, when Beijing sent a large number of drones and ships to the island.
The Chinese Taiwan Business Office said that the exercises were directed Lai Ching-teStrongly pro-independence president of Taiwan.
“Lai Ching-te insists stubbornly on a position of” the independence of Taiwanes “, cheaply qualifying the continent as a” foreign hostile force “, and presented a so-called” 17-point strategy … moving anti-china feelings “, we will not tolerate or tolerate these actions.
In mid-March, the Taiwan lai proposed a 17-point strategy aimed at strengthening the national security of Taiwan. The points include allowing espionage affairs by military courts and making the rules of immigration strict for Chinese citizens who ask for a permanent residence.
Lai’s words and actions seem to have particularly angry the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose attempts at previous intimidation had little effect on the Taiwanese public. These have often been timed in response to the expressions of Taiwanese independence, including a visit by the head of the American room, Nancy Pelosi.
A new propaganda push by China
The APL of China has also published a series of videos to publicize their military exercise, including one in which they portray Lai as a green parasitic “poisoning” by emitting smaller parasites. The video shows Lai’s head on the body of a bulbous green green, with a pair of baguettes picking it and roasting it on a flame on Taiwan.
Beijing sends war and naval ships to the island daily, seeking to exhaust Taiwanese defenses and morale, although the vast majority of 23 million people on the island reject its pretension of sovereignty on Taiwan. In recent years, he has has intensified the scope and scale of these exercisesThe sending of small individual fighters and surveillance planes to send groups of aircraft, drones and ships.
“The APL has organized naval and air forces to practice subjects such as sea and land strikes, focusing on the test of the capacity of troops to make precision strikes on certain key targets of the Taiwan authorities in several directions,” said Zhang Chi, professor at China University Defense of the National Defense University.
Taiwan and China separated in the middle of the civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have increased since 2016, when China has cut almost all contacts with Taipei.