Taiwan says it is closely monitoring series of Chinese live-fire drills

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Oct 12 that the military is monitoring a series of Chinese live-fire drills taking place up and down the country’s coast this week.

Starting from Oct 8, the China Maritime Safety Administration announced no-sail notices for five areas, from the South China Sea up to the north-eastern province of Liaoning, though none around Taiwan itself.

The closest one to Taiwan is off China’s eastern province of Zhejiang. The drills are scheduled to last all week, according to the notices.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Koo said the preliminary assessment is that these activities were firing drills by coastal artillery and related units.

“However, we adhere to the principle of ‘anticipating the enemy as broadly as possible’, so we will continue to closely monitor their activities, whether firing or military training,” he said.

President Lai Ching-te, in his national day speech on Oct 10, said Taiwan cherishes peace but will not give up its freedom, and there must be respect for the right of Taiwan’s people to exist.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, condemned his remarks, as it always does. China views Lai as a “separatist” and has rebuffed his repeated offers of talks.

While China has not linked the drills this week to Lai’s speech, on Oct 11 the country’s Defence Ministry said he was exaggerating the threat from China and trying to “seek independence through force”.

“The People’s Liberation Army’s regular training and exercises around Taiwan are meant to deter reckless ‘Taiwan independence’ moves and outside interference, and to safeguard the security and well-being of the Taiwanese people. This is entirely justified,” it said.

Past war games

China’s military operates around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, though it has not held full war games since late December, which were in response to an US$11 billion (S$14 billion) arms sale announced by Washington, the largest ever.

Last week, the US State Department said China’s maritime actions off Taiwan’s east coast are “deeply destabilising” and only worsen tension, after Reuters reported the first known sighting of a Chinese militia boat in those waters in August.

Speaking in Beijing on Oct 12, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said those waters belonged to China and its activities there were “beyond reproach”.

“It has never been China that stirs up trouble and undermines stability in this sea,” she told reporters, without elaborating.

Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and that Beijing has no right to claim the island as its territory. REUTERS