Chinese forces have entered their second day of military exercises meant as "punishment" for the Monday inauguration of Taiwan's Beijing-skeptic President Lai Ching-te.
The two-day Sword 2024A joint exercise is a test of the Chinese naval, ground and air units' "ability to jointly seize power, strike jointly, and occupy and control key areas," the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Command said in a statement Friday.
It came after Lai asserted in his inauguration speech that "the Republic of China Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation," adding it is "an important link in the global chain of democracies."
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own despite the Chinese Communist Party never having governed there, has previously organized military displays around Taiwan to signal its displeasure. One notable instance was following former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August 2022 visit, when China launched a missile over the self-ruled island for the first time.
"It is a necessary and legitimate move to crack down on 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and their separatist activities and send a warning to external interference and provocations. It is fully consistent with international law and common practices." the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.
China has said it would launch a war if Taiwan were ever to officially declare independence. Lai, like his predecessor, former President Tsai Ing-wen, has maintained that there is no need to do so, as Taiwan is already an independent state.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry on Friday reported detecting 49 PLA aircraft, 19 warships, and seven China coast guard vessels from 6 a.m. around the island. Of the Chinese planes, 35 were tracked crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, a de facto boundary that China had largely respected until recent years.
The China coast guard stated it had dispatched a flotilla of ships on a "comprehensive law enforcement drill" in waters east of Taiwan's main island, agency spokesperson Gan Yu wrote.
Taiwanese defense forces said the drills were "undermin[ing]" "peace and stability." "The ROC Armed Forces stand ready to defend our country. We seek no conflicts, but we will not shy away from one," said a statement.
In his inaugural address, Lai called on Beijing to "face the reality of the Republic of China's existence." He expressed hope that Taiwan's neighbor would "choose dialogue over confrontation."
"This is a 'must do' from Beijing's perspective. They have to show their anger to President Lai because he did not restrain his 'Taiwan independence' stance in the inaugural speech," Che-chuan Lee, a research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research think tank, told Newsweek.
He predicted China would ramp up pressure to punish Lai and to warn "die-hard Taiwan independence advocates" not to cross its red line.
The major drills are also aimed at improving cross-branch coordination among Chinese forces, wearing down Taiwan's military, and intimidating Taiwanese society. "However, it is awkward that Taiwan's stock market continues to hit new highs today, while China's Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing stock markets all fell by more than 1 percent," Lee said.
"We have noted with concern reports of the People's Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan," a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
The spokesperson said the United States was monitoring the situation closely, in coordination with Taiwanese authorities, adding: "We are confident in our current force posture and operations in the region to ensure peace and stability and to meet our national security commitments."
The U.S. State Department told Newsweek: "We strongly urge Beijing to act with restraint and reiterate that the PRC (People's Republic of China) should not use Taiwan's political transition—part of a normal routine democratic process—as a pretext or excuse for provocative or coercive measures."
Sean King, Asia scholar and senior vice president of New York-based consultancy Park Strategies, told Newsweek the exercises were a strategic blunder for Beijing in terms of optics across the strait.
The Taiwanese capital has seen large protests in recent days over opposition parties' efforts to push through controversial reforms without being reviewed by Lai's Democratic Progressive Party and other minority parties.
"Coupled with what's happening [in Taiwan's legislature], these military exercises will now only rally Taiwan's people around their new leader," he said.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry with a written request for comment.
Update 5/25/24, 12 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comments.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
