Advertisement
Advertisement
Taiwan
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
US Senator Marsha Blackburn exchanges gifts with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Friday. Photo: AP

Chinese military runs new live drills near Taiwan in face of ‘changing’ situation

  • Xinhua report gives no date but they appear to have come ahead of Taipei visit by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn
  • Blackburn, leading the fourth US delegation to visit the island this month, has pledged support for Taiwan to become independent
Taiwan
Beijing has conducted new exercises near Taiwan as part of what it described as “normalised military operations” in response to the changing situation in the region.

“In recent days, the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command organised and conducted joint patrols and real-life combat exercises involving multiple units in air and sea areas near Taiwan island,” state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday evening.

“These are normalised military operations organised in response to the changing situation in the Taiwan Strait.

“Troops [under the Eastern Theatre Command] will continue to conduct drills to prepare for real battle, safeguard national sovereignty, and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

The report was accompanied by a short video showing the deployment of Chinese fighter jets and warships.

The exact dates of the exercises were not known but they appeared to have come ahead of a visit to Taiwan by US Senator Marsha Blackburn on Friday.

Taipei’s defence ministry said the PLA sent 35 warplanes to waters near Taiwan, with 18 crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Eight warships were also found operating in waters close to the island, it said.

Blackburn, who sits on the Senate’s armed services committee, met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and National Security Council secretary-general Wellington Koo in Taipei on Friday.

In her meeting with Tsai, Blackburn offered her support for Taiwan to “push forward as an independent nation”, in a pledge certain to draw fire from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the self-governed island.

“I am looking forward to a wonderful visit. And yes, indeed I do remember my visit fondly in 2008, and the opportunity to get to see some of your country first-hand,” Blackburn, a long-time Beijing critic, said.

Tsai thanked Blackburn for her visit and what she called an “active show of strong support” at a time of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan saw off Beijing before and its resolve to defend remains: Tsai

Beijing has been staging massive military drills around the island, with a greater range and intensity since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unannounced and controversial visit earlier this month.

“In recent times, many public figures from a broad spectrum of US society have visited Taiwan. These warm acts of kindness and firm demonstrations of support have reinforced Taiwan’s determination to defend itself,” Tsai told Blackburn, referring to a flurry of visits in the last few weeks by US politicians, including Pelosi.

Taiwan war games ‘just’ response to Pelosi visit, mainland official says

Beijing did not immediately react to Blackburn’s visit on Friday but state news agency Xinhua published a lengthy article the previous day saying visits by US lawmakers to Taiwan violated the one-China principle which states that the island is a part of China.

“Congress members’ visits to Taiwan run counter to the US political commitment of maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan, and violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués,” the article said.

“The US government is responsible for making sure its political commitments to China are honoured and executed by all parts of the government.”

Democrat Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts (far left) and other US politicians and their spouses at the parliament building in Taipei on August 15. Photo: AP

Beijing sees Taiwan as breakaway territory awaiting reunification under its one-China principle, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it back into the fold.

The US, while a strong supporter of Taiwan, does not – like most countries – recognise the island as an independent state. However, it is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force.

Blackburn and her aides arrived in Taipei at almost midnight on Thursday for an unannounced three-day visit. She is leading the fourth group of US politicians to visit Taiwan this month, after delegations headed by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Senator Ed Markey followed close on the heels of Pelosi.

US accuses China of post-Pelosi coercive pressure campaign against Taiwan

Beijing was particularly enraged by Pelosi’s trip as the House speaker defied repeated warnings from Chinese officials against travelling to Taipei, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.

An enraged Beijing slammed the trip as a “provocation” and violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. It retaliated by launching more than a week of live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, firing ballistic missiles across the island, and sending warplanes and warships across the median line in the Taiwan Strait to ramp up the pressure on Taipei.

Blackburn supported Pelosi’s visit, which both the speaker and Tsai have said was used by Beijing as an excuse to punish Taiwan with military drills.

Upon her arrival, Blackburn tweeted: “I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing – we will not be bullied.

“The United States remains steadfast in preserving freedom around the globe, and will not tolerate efforts to undermine our nation and our allies.”

Taiwan to strengthen defences after mainland Chinese drone films soldiers

Blackburn’s visit is part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where the US is jostling with Beijing for greater influence. Before coming to Taipei, Blackburn visited Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

In an earlier briefing with reporters, foreign minister Wu said Beijing’s war games earlier this month had undermined the interests of not only the Taiwanese but also the international community, as the seven exercise zones, which covered important flight and sea paths, were off limits to international flights and shipping at the time.

03:13

Taiwan showcases fighter jets as mainland China’s war games continue following Pelosi visit

Taiwan showcases fighter jets as mainland China’s war games continue following Pelosi visit

Wu also condemned Beijing for using Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to stage exercises as a kind of rehearsal for any future military takeover.

But he said Beijing’s gimmicks would not stop lawmakers from the US and other parts of the world from visiting the island.

“Even though China is trying to coerce us internationally, trying to … stop our friends from coming in, it won’t work,” he said. “Because of the mutual pressure that China has demonstrated against Taiwan, there are more people than ever who want to come and show their support.”

97