In the latest escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan, China has been conducting military drills for three consecutive days, simulating a “sealing off” of the island. Reports suggest that China has used an aircraft carrier, the Shandong, to launch fighter jets towards Taiwan, with some jets detected to the east of the island for the first time. Taiwan has also reported the presence of 70 warplanes and 11 ships in its surrounding waters.
Analysts speculate that China’s military exercises are in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, which followed visits by other foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to China. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has repeatedly expressed its intention to bring it under its control, even by force if necessary.
The current drills, while significant, are not as large as those that followed Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last August, which saw China firing ballistic missiles into the seas around the island. However, some analysts believe that China’s military exercises may have a diminishing impact over time and may need to be escalated to maintain a similar level of the fear factor.
The United States has also been involved in the situation, with the USS Milius, a guided-missile destroyer, conducting a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, which China has claimed as an illegal intrusion into its waters. Washington has repeatedly called for restraint from China, while China has warned of “resolute counter-measures” in response to Taiwan’s interactions with the US.
The status of Taiwan has been a contentious issue since 1949 when the Chinese Civil War resulted in the retreat of the country’s old ruling government to the island. China’s President Xi Jinping has stated that “reunification” with Taiwan is necessary. However, Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state and tensions between China and Taiwan remain a significant source of regional and global concern.
