Armed demonstration to mark the return of Tsai Ing-wen from the U.S.
Assume Taiwan attack… more intense than last year
China embarked on a high-intensity armed demonstration encircling Taiwan in all directions for three days from the 8th to the 10th in opposition to the meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the US mainland on the 5th. On the 9th, state-run China Central (CC) TV released a picture of the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Front, which is in charge of Taiwan, conducting simulated precision strike training against key targets in Taiwan and the surrounding waters. In August of last year, immediately after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, military training was conducted with an emphasis on ‘containment of Taiwan’, but this time, concerns that the intensity of China’s military threat has increased, such as training assuming a ‘Taiwan attack’ situation is raised
On the 8th, the Eastern Front said, “From the 8th to the 10th, we will conduct a joint training of ‘sharp swords’ in the form of surrounding Taiwan Island in the Taiwan Strait and the northern, southern, and eastern sea and air areas of Taiwan Island.” revealed On this day, the Chinese military infiltrated 45 military aircraft and missile destroyer ‘Taiyuan’ into the ‘Middle Line’, which serves as the actual boundary between China and Taiwan. On the 9th, Chinese destroyers and speedboats were spotted forming a combined fleet and aiming at targets in the southwestern region of Taiwan. On the 10th, China will also conduct a live ammunition shooting training in Pingtan County, about 126 km away from Hsinchu County in northern Taiwan. The live ammunition training is about eight months after Chairman Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The US State Department warned China on the 8th, saying, “The US has sufficient resources and capabilities to ensure peace and stability in Taiwan.” On this day, the U.S. military deployed maritime patrol aircraft ‘P-8A Poseidon’ to Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and confronted the Chinese military head-on. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCall, who visited Taiwan as a delegation to the US Congress, also told President Tsai that day, “We will do our best to ensure that Taiwan receives US weapons purchased more quickly.”
Tsai Ing-won visits the US… Taiwan Strait tensions rise
China, ‘sharp sword’ training until today
Send 129 military aircraft and 18 warships
Offensive ahead of next year’s US-Taiwan presidential election
US deploys patrol aircraft ‘P-8A’ in air defense zone
On the 8th and 9th, China sent 129 military aircraft and 18 warships of the People’s Liberation Army to the vicinity of Taiwan, launching an unprecedented armed demonstration against Taiwan. As a warning against the meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the 5th, the level of military threats has risen significantly compared to the visit of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August of last year. analysis is presented. CNN and others diagnosed China’s “simulated attack” on Taiwan.
The US also confronted China by entering the ‘P-8A Poseidon’ patrol aircraft into the southwestern Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on the 8th. On this day, the People’s Liberation Army missile destroyer ‘Taiyuan’ crossed the Taiwan Strait ‘middle line’, which is the de facto border between China and Taiwan, and approached about 44 km from the coast of Pangliao in southern Taiwan. The Taiwanese military also urgently dispatched a 3,000-ton class ‘Kangding-class’ frigate and a Coast Guard vessel, creating a very tense situation in which the distance between the Chinese and Taiwanese vessels approached only 5.5 km.
Recently, Western military experts are coming up with analyzes that China can advance the timing of its invasion of Taiwan from 2027, which was originally known, by taking advantage of the chaotic domestic situation in the United States and Taiwan, which will hold presidential elections next year, respectively. Analysts say that China’s simulated attack on Taiwan and the military confrontation between the US and China, which emerged in this situation, have reached a level of concern.
In a video filmed by China’s state-run Central Television (CC) on the 8th, a Chinese warship is sailing through the Taiwan Strait. In response to the meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, China embarked on an intense armed demonstration by encircling Taiwan in all directions for three days from the same day. Shinhwa AP NewsisAccording to Taiwan’s Lian Hebo on the 9th, China named the military training to threaten Taiwan, which will be held for three days from the 8th to the 10th, as the ‘Sharp Sword’ joint training. On the 9th alone, China mobilized 58 military aircraft and 9 warships to threaten Taiwan. Including the mobilization of 71 military aircraft and 9 warships the day before, 129 military aircraft and 18 warships were sent over the two days. On the 8th, 45 military aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait. A total of 90 military aircraft and 13 warships were mobilized on the first and second days of training in August of last year, right after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
In August of last year, China’s military threat had a strong purpose of isolating Taiwan by seizing major ports and sea routes and blockading Taiwan’s waters and airspace. This time, it is clear that the training was aimed at an attack on Taiwan. On the 9th, China Central Television (CC) TV released a picture of the People’s Liberation Army’s eastern division conducting simulated precision strike drills against key targets in Taiwan and the surrounding waters. On the same day, Chinese destroyers and speedboats were also spotted forming a combined fleet and targeting targets in the southwestern region of Taiwan.
On this day, the official Global Times also made it clear that “this training was aimed at actual combat, with all weapons loaded with live ammunition and patrol ships also turning on radar.” He added that he also conducted training to subdue all radar bases and missile defense bases of the Taiwanese military so that they could not be seen or heard. On the 10th, China will hold a live ammunition shooting training in Pingtan County, about 126 km away from Hsinchu County in northern Taiwan.
On the 8th, the US deployed its representative patrol aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, to Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ, demonstrating its commitment to Taiwan’s defense. On this day, a US State Department spokesperson urged the Chinese military to exercise restraint and maintain the status quo, saying, “We are closely monitoring China’s actions.”
The American Association in Taiwan (AIT), which is equivalent to the US Embassy in Taiwan, also protested on the 9th, saying, “China is intentionally creating tension in the Taiwan Strait.” House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Michael McCall, who has been visiting Taiwan since the 6th, said, “Rapid arms support to Taiwan is absolutely necessary. Peace through strength is real.”
On the 9th, the Taiwanese Ziyu (自由) Times pointed out that the name of the Chinese military’s training (‘Lee Sword’) was “copied as it is from the annual joint military exercise of the United States and Japan, ‘Keen Sword’.”
Beijing =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.