China, early Saturday (April 8), announced that it was launching a three-day military drill in the Taiwan Strait. According to the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command, “United Sharp Sword” would begin on April 8 and end on April 10 for “combat preparedness.”
The announcement, in the backdrop of the recent escalation in tensions between Beijing and Taipei, took many by surprise but it has not had a similar effect on the residents of either China or Taiwan.
Military drills in Taiwan Strait
After China’s announcement its fighter jets briefly crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait as they began drills around Taiwan. This comes after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met United States House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other officials during her visit, which Beijing has since condemned.
China’s anger at the visit largely stems from its claims that the democratically governed Taiwan is its own territory and has recently threatened to use force to bring the island under its control. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government had long strongly objected to China’s claims.
In line with this, the Chinese army’s Eastern Theater Command said that the drills are a “serious warning to the Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces’ collusion and provocation, and it is a necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it was monitoring the drills and would respond appropriately to defend the island’s security and released a video message, emphasising they would monitor the situation without escalating tensions. The video shows Taiwan’s army, navy and air force conducting drills and monitoring China’s movements.
Taiwan’s president, who was in the midst of hosting a US lawmaker delegation, led by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the people of Taiwan love democracy and seek peace. She added that it would strengthen security cooperation with the US without directly mentioning the drills in her televised address.
Chinese citizens largely in favour of reunifying Taiwan with mainland
A report by Reuters after speaking to citizens in Beijing said that while people are largely in support of the military drills around Taiwan some are also worried about how it will affect their business. “Military exercises are what we should do…let’s take Taiwan with military force,” said Wang, 35, who only provided his last name.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Zhou told the news agency, that she was a “bit worried” as her work involves international trade with the main markets being the United States and Canada and many others who work in similar fields are concerned about how escalating tensions would impact their jobs.
On the other hand, Chinese tourists on an island near Taiwan were largely unaware or at least unbothered by Beijing’s military drill launch in the strait beyond, reported the news agency AFP. The tourists at the time were present along the coast of Pingtan, a scenic isle that is the closest point on the mainland to Taiwan.
“I saw the news, but it’s not going to stop our plans for today,” a 30-year-old visitor named Wu told AFP. He added, “Relations with Taiwan aren’t great at the moment, but they’re stable. We hope for peaceful reunification.”
Similarly, another man named Lin said that the drills were just “a few preventive measures being taken by the government,” and hoped that China and Taiwan would reunify someday.
“The drills are just a way to show our national strength, after all. Our government’s response to Tsai’s visit to the U.S. is quite strong – took her down a couple of notches and restored people’s confidence for us to reclaim Taiwan,” Chen, a 25-year-old college student from Guangdong province visiting Pingtan island, told Reuters. Chen also expressed hope that China can reclaim Taiwan in a “peaceful way.”
Taiwan remains calm amid military drills
There was no broader sense of alarm in Taiwan about the military drills as people have long been accustomed to Chinese threats, reported Reuters, citing a senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning in the region who spoke to the news agency on the condition of anonymity. The official said that the situation was “as expected” and manageable and the Taiwanese government has rehearsed various scenarios for its response.
“I have seen the news (about the China drills), when there were things like this in the past, before the war in Ukraine, I always just thought it’s how things are. Even now I don’t totally think that these drills will create security concerns for us, but everything that they (China) do, is to push the limits,” Lu Chi-hao, 30, told Reuters.
This comes as China’s amphibious landing ship – capable of transporting troops, craft and vehicles – fired multiple rounds of artillery early Saturday in the Luoyan Bay area on the coast of Fujian province.
“We are already numb to it, because they have really said this (unification) for a long time. But I think, since we still have to go on with our lives, us Taiwanese have to remain calm,” a 25-year-old social media influencer named Johhny Lin told Reuters.
(With inputs from agencies)
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