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Agence France-Presse

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen reassured residents that the island was secure on Tuesday, a day before mainland China is set to hold live-fire drills in the narrow strait that separates the two.
Tsai spoke to reporters as she left for Swaziland, one of Taipei’s few remaining international allies that has not been wooed away by an ascendant Beijing as cross-strait relations deteriorate.
Beijing officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to pro-independence advocates in Taiwan as Beijing steps up its rhetoric against any challenges to its sovereignty.
Beijing sees self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold and has not ruled out reunification by force.
China announces surprise live-fire Taiwan Strait drills after massive navy parade
Tsai said Monday she had told national security officials to closely monitor the “surrounding situation”.
“Please rest assured that we have the confidence and determination to safeguard the country’s security,” she said at Taoyuan International Airport.
Tsai added that maintaining a peaceful “status quo” across the strait was her government’s mission.
Although a fully fledged democracy, Taiwan has never formally announced independence from the mainland and Beijing has warned of military action if it ever did.
Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence and her newly appointed premier William Lai is a long-standing independence advocate.
Opinion: Why the US doesn’t hold a winning hand against China
When asked if the upcoming military exercise was directed at Lai, the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office director Liu Jieyi said on Monday it was “an action to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our motherland”.


Beijing has stepped up military patrols around the island and used diplomatic pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally since Tsai took office in May 2016 as she refuses to accept both sides are part of “one China”.
The mainland has chipped away at Taiwan’s dwindling number of allies, with Swaziland one of the few not to have been convinced to give up official recognition of the island as a country.
On her four-day trip to Africa, Tsai will take part in celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence and the establishment of diplomatic ties with Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.
Beijing ready to snuff out any separatist move, and live-fire drill in Taiwan Strait is proof, official says

Observers say Wednesday’s planned drills also serve as a signal to Washington, which sent the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt through the disputed South China Sea last week.
The region has become a potential flashpoint, with the United States saying China’s aggressive activities in the area pose a threat to freedom of navigation.
Huge show of strength: China’s largest ever naval review
Washington is also Taiwan’s most powerful – though unofficial – ally and its biggest arms supplier. 
Relations have warmed between Washington and Taipei in recent months, including the passage of a bill last month that promotes visits by officials at all levels. 






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Taiwan

Taiwan’s leader says island secure ahead of mainland China naval drills

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made her comments before leaving for a trip to the African nation Swaziland, one of the island’s few remaining diplomatic allies. Photo: CNA

In this April 12, 2018 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center in green military uniform, poses with soldiers on a navy ship after he reviewed the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet in the South China Sea. China has announced live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions over increased American support for Taiwan. The announcement by authorities in the coastal province of Fujian on Thursday was accompanied by a statement that the navy was ending a three-day exercise in the South China one day early. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech as he reviews a military display of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the South China Sea April 12, 2018. Picture taken April 12, 2018. Li Gang/Xinhua via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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Beijing officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to pro-independence advocates in Taiwan


China’s military

Tsai Ing-wen

Taiwan’s leader says island secure ahead of mainland China naval drills

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Beijing officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to pro-independence advocates in Taiwan

Beijing officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to pro-independence advocates in Taiwan