HONG KONG — China on Monday held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in what it called a warning to the “independence forces” on the island claimed by Beijing.
The exercises were expected after Beijing criticized a speech by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te last week. In the speech marking Taiwan’s National Day, Lai said China had no right to represent the self-governing democracy and its 23 million people, but that he was willing to work with Beijing to address global challenges such as climate change.
China, which has not ruled out using force to achieve its unification goal, sees Lai as a separatist and a “troublemaker.” The Chinese military also held two days of “punishment” exercises around Taiwan after his inauguration in May.
The latest exercises, called “Joint Sword-2024B,” are being held around the north, south and east of Taiwan and are intended to test the joint operational capabilities of China’s army, navy, air force and missile force, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement. Ships and aircraft are approaching the island “near various directions,” the statement said.
“The exercise also serves as a stern warning against the separatist acts of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” said Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command. “It is a legitimate and necessary operation to safeguard state sovereignty and national unity.”
The Chinese military has not announced live-fire exercises of the kind that took place after Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., then the speaker of the House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in 2022 over Beijing’s objections.
The statement did not say when the latest exercises would end. The May exercises, dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A,” lasted two days.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it was prepared to respond, calling the war games “irrational” and “provocative.”
Joseph Wu, the secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, told reporters on Monday that Taiwan “will continue to monitor whether the exercise area will be expanded and extended.”
The island’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees China policy, said the exercises ignored the “goodwill” of the Taiwanese government.
“The existence of the Republic of China is an undeniable fact,” a statement said, using the official name for Taiwan. “President Lai expressed his goodwill in his National Day speech and is willing to share responsibility with the Chinese Communist Party to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait.”
Chang Wu-ueh, director of the Center for Cross-Strait Relations at Taiwan’s Tamkang University, said Monday’s exercises were “within expectations.”
Lai’s Oct. 10 National Day speech was not as significant as his inauguration speech in May, which prompted “Joint Sword-2024A,” Chang said.
“Since Beijing has no confidence or hope in President Lai Ching-te, no matter what he says, Beijing will undoubtedly respond with ‘Joint Sword-2024B.’”
“Although cross-Strait relations are tense in the short term, the risks remain manageable,” Chang said, adding that tensions are unlikely to escalate further as long as the United States, Taiwan’s main international backer, maintains open channels of communication with both China and Taiwan.
China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, sending military aircraft and ships to the island almost daily.
Lai said in his National Day speech that Taiwan and China “are not subordinate to each other.”
“On this land, democracy and freedom are growing and flourishing. The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said.
He added that he would “keep the promise to resist annexation or infringement of our sovereignty.”
Chinese officials said Lai’s speech showed he was “determined” to promote Taiwan’s independence and to try to increase tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait for his “selfish political interest.”
“No matter what they say or do, Lai Ching-te’s authorities cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing in Beijing last week.
Although they see Beijing as a serious threat, most people in Taiwan believe it is “unlikely or very unlikely” that China will invade in the next five years, according to a poll released last week by Taiwan’s top military think tank.