China and Taiwan: How Do Their Military Forces Compare?
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(CNN) --
Chinese forces participated in drills focused on ground attacks and long-range airstrikes around Taiwan on Sunday, its military said, in what was expected to be the last day of the extensive drills. in response to the visit to the island of the president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
The Chinese army's Eastern Theater Command said Sunday around noon local time that it conducted live-fire exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan "as planned."
"The drills focused on joint fire ground attacks and long-range air strike capabilities," the command said in a statement posted on its official account on the Weibo social media platform, without specifying whether the drills had ended. .
The exercises, planned in six zones around the island, began on Thursday and were scheduled to last until noon Sunday local time in Beijing, Chinese state media reported.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Sunday that it detected multiple Chinese aircraft, naval vessels and drones operating around the Taiwan Strait that morning, in what it called a "simulated attack on the mainland of Taiwan and Taiwanese naval vessels." ", a slight update on his speech from Saturday, when he said Chinese military exercises around the island could be a "possible mock attack".
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Taiwan's military "closely monitored" the situation and deployed planes and ships to react "properly" to Chinese military exercises around the island, the Defense Ministry added.
He also said the drones "intruded" on outlying islands controlled by Taiwan.
The ministry did not immediately provide the exact number of Chinese planes, ships or drones detected on Sunday morning or say whether they had crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China.
What would be behind Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan?
China announced the drills — the size of which marks a significant escalation from previous activities — an hour after Pelosi and a congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night.
The stop, which was expected but not announced in advance, was part of a larger tour of Asia.
Chinese officials had repeatedly warned Washington of unspecified repercussions in the run-up to the expected trip.
In addition to the drills, Beijing has also launched a series of diplomatic sanctions, including canceling future phone calls between Chinese and US defense leaders and suspending bilateral climate talks.
The Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan its territory, even though it has never controlled it, and has long vowed to "reunify" the island with mainland China, by force if necessary.
What happens between China and Taiwan?
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In the previous days, several air and sea operations were carried out around the island, including the launch of 11 ballistic missiles on Thursday, some of which flew over the island of Taiwan and landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.
It is the first time that China has sent missiles over the island.
On Saturday, 14 ships and 20 aircraft operated by the Chinese military were detected around the strait, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense.
Of the 20 planes, 14 crossed the dividing line, it added.
On Friday, 68 Chinese warplanes were registered in the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry.
Of those, 49 entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone, a strip of airspace commonly known as ADIZ.
This figure is slightly lower than the record set last year, when 56 Chinese warplanes entered the ADIZ on the same day.
US considers China's military exercises exaggerated after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang on Sunday reiterated Taiwan's condemnation of the maneuvers.
"Not only Taiwan, but also other countries in the region and freedom-loving countries such as the United States have vehemently protested and condemned China's arrogant military operations, which disturb regional peace and stability," he said during a speech. meeting with the press
"We ask the Chinese government not to flex its military muscles and disturb regional peace."
A spokesman for the US National Security Council on Saturday called China's recent military activities around Taiwan a "significant escalation in China's efforts to change the status quo."
"They are provocative, irresponsible and increase the risk of miscalculation," the spokesman said.
"They are also at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is what the world expects."
US allies have also come out to condemn China's actions, including in a joint statement issued Friday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken;
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong;
and the Japanese Foreign Minister, Hayashi Yoshimasa, after their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Cambodia.
The diplomats "condemned (China's) launch of ballistic missiles," including those that the Japanese government said landed in its exclusive economic zone, for "raising tension and destabilizing the region," and called on China to "immediately cease of the military maneuvers" according to the statement issued by the US State Department.
China struck back on Saturday night, with its embassy in Australia calling the US a "biggest spoiler and destabilizer of the peace in the Taiwan Strait" and disputing the "legal basis" for Japan's claims regarding missile landings.
"China is the victim of a political provocation by the United States. The actions undertaken by the Chinese government to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity and curb separatist activities are legitimate and justified," an embassy statement said.
CNN's Gladys Tsai and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report
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