China ends military exercises near Taiwan – DW – 05/25/2024

China said late Friday it had carried out two days of military exercises around Taiwan, which were widely seen as another attempt to intimidate the democratically governed island and its allies.

Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, said the exercises were “punishment” for the recent inauguration speech of the island's new president, Lai Ching-te, a speech denounced by China as a “confession of independence”.

Taipei criticized the military exercises, calling them a “unilateral provocation.”

What happened during the war games?

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said 111 Chinese aircraft and dozens of military ships took part in the exercises, dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A.”

The ministry said the planes included Su-30 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and flew across the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines.

The exercises involved simulated strikes targeting the island's leaders as well as its ports and airports, according to Chinese military analysts.

The exercises were aimed at testing “the ability to jointly seize power, carry out joint strikes and control key territories,” Li Xi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), said Friday .

In recent years, China has increased acts of intimidation against Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to bring it under Beijing's control, something this week's exercises have underlined.

What was the international reaction?

Taiwan itself has vehemently condemned China's actions.

“China's recent unilateral provocation not only undermines the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but also constitutes a blatant provocation to the international order, drawing serious concern and condemnation from the international community,” said a statement attributed to the president of Taiwan. Karen Kuo, office spokesperson.

The United Nations called on all parties to avoid any escalation, while the United States called on Beijing to act with restraint.

The island has been self-governing since 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists fled there after being defeated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a civil war.

tj/lo (AFP, Reuters)