China
declared on Monday that it had "successfully completed" three days of military exercises around Taiwan in which it deployed
dozens of planes
to simulate attacks and the "air blockade" of the island, which it claims as part of its territory.
The exercises are in response by Beijing to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week, a meeting that China warned would provoke a forceful response
.
After three days of exercises, the Chinese military declared that it had
"successfully completed"
its so-called "Joint Sword" exercises.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that the exercise "fully tested the integrated joint combat capability of
multiple sectors of the army
under combat conditions."
During the maneuvers, Beijing
simulated targeted attacks on Taiwan
as well as the encirclement of the island, including its "sealing", and state media reported that dozens of planes had practiced an "air blockade".
One of the two Chinese aircraft carriers, the "Shandong", also took part, according to the army.
The United States, which had repeatedly called on China for restraint,
sent the
USS Milius guided-missile destroyer through disputed parts of the South China Sea on Monday.
"This freedom of navigation operation respected the rights, freedoms and legitimate uses of the sea," the US Navy said in a statement, explaining that the ship had passed near the Spratly Islands, an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam , Malaysia and Brunei and located about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Taiwan.
The deployment of the Milius immediately drew condemnation from China, which claimed the vessel
had "illegally invaded" its territorial waters.
A giant screen shows the maneuvers in Beijing.
Photo: Reuters
Beijing warned on Monday that Taiwanese independence and peace on both sides of the straits
are "mutually exclusive
," blaming the Taiwanese government and unnamed "foreign forces" for the tensions.
"If we want to protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, we must firmly oppose any form of Taiwanese separatism," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
China's ally Russia
defended the moves
, with a Kremlin spokesman saying Beijing had a "sovereign right" to respond to what Moscow called "provocations."
A Chinese landing ship sails off Taiwan.
Photo: GREG BAKER / AFP
On Beigan Island, part of Taiwan's Matsu Archipelago, visible from mainland China, Lin Ke-qiang, a 60-year-old cook,
wants no war.
"We ordinary people just want to lead a peaceful and stable life," Lin says, assuring that Taiwan's military
is no match for China.
"If there's a war, now that their missiles are so advanced, there's no way they can resist. We're going to be wiped out," he said.
China and Taiwan separated after a civil war in 1949. Beijing considers Taiwan, which has a democratic government, as part of its territory and has vowed to one day regain it.
A fighter takes off from the Chinese aircraft carrier, Shandong.
Photo: AFP
The US position
The United States
has been deliberately ambiguous
about whether it would defend Taiwan militarily and has for decades sold arms to its government for self-defense and offered it political support.
Tsai met McCarthy after a visit to Guatemala and Belize, two of the island's last official allies, which recently lost to Honduras, which established diplomatic relations with Beijing.
China already carried out military maneuvers around the island in August 2022, in response to the visit to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, McCarthy's predecessor as head of the House of Representatives.
Tsai responded to the drills by pledging to collaborate with "the United States and other like-minded countries" against
"continued authoritarian expansionism."
Monday's exercises
included live ammunition
and took place off the rocky coast of China's Fujian province, some 80 kilometers south of the Matsu Islands and 190 kilometers from Taipei, maritime authorities said Saturday.
A video posted on the official WeChat account of China's Eastern Theater Command on Monday showed a pilot saying he had "arrived near the northern part of the island of Taiwan" with the missiles "in place.
"
By Matthew Walsh and Jack Morrre, in Matsu, Taiwan. AFP
ap
look also
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Conflict escalates: China staged attacks on key targets in Taiwan and its surrounding waters
