BEIJING – China said on Wednesday that its recent series of drills near Taiwan was aimed at combating the “arrogance” of separatist forces, while the front runner to be Taiwan’s next president said China was trying to “annex” the island.
Taiwan said in September that it had observed dozens of fighters, drones, bombers and other aircraft, as well as warships and the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, operating nearby.
The increased frequency of China’s military activities has raised the risk of events “getting out of hand” and sparking an accidental clash, the island’s defence minister said on Sept 23.
Asked about the spurt in drills, and Taiwan’s concerns about increased risk, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian acknowledged the drills by the People’s Liberation Army.
“The purpose (of the drills) is to resolutely combat the arrogance of Taiwan independence separatist forces and their actions to seek independence,” Ms Zhu said during a regular news briefing in Beijing.
“The provocation of Taiwan independence continues all day long, and the actions of the People’s Liberation Army to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity are always ongoing,” she added.
She urged people in Taiwan to distinguish between “right and wrong”, resolutely oppose independence for the island, and work with China to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
China regards the self-governing Taiwan as its territory to be reunified with it. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
China has a particularly strong dislike of Mr William Lai, the front runner to be elected president in the island’s January elections, for his previous comments in support of independence.
However, he says he does not seek to change the status quo, and has offered talks with Beijing.
The situation across the Taiwan Strait had “not improved due to the passage of time”, said Mr Lai, now the island’s vice-president.
“China’s attempts to annex Taiwan have not changed,” he said at an event in Taipei on Wednesday for the 37th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP.
China’s armed forces have not explicitly mentioned or commented on the drills, which have been taking place as Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has gone missing from public view. Sources have told Reuters he is being investigated for corruption.
On Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported further Chinese military movements, saying it had detected and responded to 16 Chinese aircraft entering the island’s air defence identification zone over the prior 24 hours.
Of those, 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan strait, which had served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides until China began regularly crossing it in August 2022.
On Thursday, Taiwan is due to launch the first of eight domestically made submarines as part of its plans to bolster defences against China.
In Beijing, when asked about the submarines, Ms Zhu said efforts by Taiwan’s DPP to “seek independence with force” would only exacerbate tensions and “push the Taiwanese people into a dangerous situation”.
In an unusual revelation last week, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it was monitoring China’s drills in the southern province of Fujian, opposite Taiwan.
Normally, Taiwan provides details only of drills in the skies and waters around it.
A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters the information was released to demonstrate Taiwan’s surveillance and intelligence capacity.
“We can see the details and we are prepared,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
China’s military has not commented on the Fujian exercises. REUTERS
