China military drill ‘a warning’ to Taiwan in wake of Biden defence pledge

PLA holds joint combat-readiness exercise near island to deter collusion with the United States
Beijing say there would be heavy consequences for supporting Taiwanese independence

China’s military

Teddy Ng

Published: 7:00pm, 25 May 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

Just two days after US President Joe Biden said Washington was committed to Taiwan’s defence, the Chinese military has announced that it conducted a drill near the island, sending a warning against “collusion” with the United States.

Shi Yi, from the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said on Wednesday that the joint naval and air combat-readiness exercise by the People’s Liberation Army was a “solemn warning against recent collusion between the United States and Taiwan”.

“It is hypocritical and futile for the United States to say one thing and do another on the Taiwan issue,” Shi said.

Without giving details of the drill, he said troops from the theatre command were capable of thwarting external interference and attempts to advance independence for the island.

The Chinese foreign ministry also accused the US of harming relations with China, saying there would be heavy consequences for supporting Taiwanese independence.

03:09

US President Joe Biden says US military will defend Taiwan if attacked

It follows suggestions from Biden on Monday that the US would defend Taiwan militarily if it was under attack by mainland China.

“Yes, that’s the commitment we made,” he said. “We agree with the one-China policy. We signed on to it. All the attendant agreements [were] made from there.

“But the idea that that can be taken by force, just taken by force. It’s just not, it’s just not appropriate.”

The remarks triggered concerns that the US was changing its policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether American troops would ever intervene on Taiwan.

US officials and Biden later appeared to walk back the remarks, with Biden saying on Tuesday that US policies towards Taiwan had not changed.

Nevertheless, Beijing reacted angrily, warning the US against playing with words on the one-China principle.

Don’t read too much into Biden’s Taiwan defence pledge, analysts say

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan to be a breakaway province to be taken back by force if necessary. Washington switched recognition to Beijing in 1979, has retained – and stepped up in recent years – its close ties with the government in Taipei.

Calls in Washington to give Taipei more security support have grown louder since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, worsening tensions over the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea.

Beijing has stepped up military drills near Taiwan in recent years. Early this month, the Eastern Theatre Command said it had intensified combat exercises in the East China Sea.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, has also just wrapped up a three-week naval drill, with J-15 fighter jet pilots conducting day and night flight drills.

Defence analysts said those drills were targeted at deterring Taiwan’s independence-leaning forces.