Taiwan’s military said Thursday “preparing for war without seeking war” as China began the largest-ever military exercises around the island.
“The Ministry of National Defense emphasizes that it will adhere to the principle of preparing for war without seeking war,” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Chinese army began this Thursday the most important military maneuvers in its history in the surroundings of Taiwan. China has fired “multiple” ballistic missiles during its main maneuvers, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday, condemning “irrational actions that undermine regional peace.”
Exercises on an “unprecedented” scale
The military exercises began shortly after noon on Thursday in six areas around Taiwan, at the level of busy trade routes and sometimes just 20 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast.
“The exercises are starting” and will continue until noon on Sunday, Chinese state television CCTV said in a social media post. “During this period, ships and aircraft must not enter the waters and airspaces in question.”
According to the Chinese newspaper globaltimesciting military analysts, the exercises are “unprecedented” in scale as the missiles will fly over Taiwan for the first time, with “live ammunition and long-range artillery fire.”
Taiwan denounces an “irrational act”
“If Taiwanese forces voluntarily come into contact with (the Chinese military) and accidentally fire a shot, (the Chinese military) will retaliate vigorously and it will be up to the Taiwanese side to bear all the consequences,” an anonymous person told AFP. military font within the chinese army.
The island’s authorities, for their part, denounced “an irrational act aimed at challenging the international order.”
“Some of China’s maneuvering areas encroach… on Taiwan’s territorial waters,” said Sun Li-fang, spokesman for Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
A response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit
These maneuvers are given in response to the visit of the president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to the island. The highest-ranking US official to visit Taipei in 25 years, she stressed that the United States will not abandon the island, which is governed by a democratic regime and lives under the constant threat of an invasion by the Chinese army.
This visit of less than 24 hours has provoked the anger of Beijing for which these military exercises are now a “necessary and legitimate measure”.
The drills are intended to simulate a “blockade” of the island and include “attacking targets at sea, attacking targets on land and controlling airspace,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Source: BFM TV
