Indo-Pacific: “Serious warning” – China launches military exercise around Taiwan

China has once again begun a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan. The Chinese military spoke in a statement of a “serious warning” to the “separatist” forces of the island republic. Ships and planes approached from several directions. State broadcaster CCTV released a map showing six large red blocks around Taiwan where the drills were taking place.

There had already been reports in recent days that China might hold a maneuver in response to a speech last week by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on the occasion of the national holiday on October 10th.

Last major military exercise in May

Most recently, China’s People’s Liberation Army launched a major military exercise around Taiwan in May. The exercise took place shortly after Lai’s inauguration. His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidential election in January and advocates a course critical of Beijing. The ruling Communist Party in Beijing accuses the DPP of separatism.

After the exercise was named “Joint Sword-2024A” in May, the current exercise is called “Joint Sword-2024B”.

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, even though independent and democratically elected governments have been in power there for decades. The leadership in Beijing has already threatened several times to unite the island, which has a population of more than 23 million, and the mainland using coercive military force.

In addition to regular exercises by the armed forces, fighter jets fly towards Taiwan every day to demonstrate the military might of the People’s Liberation Army.