China began three days of military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday, including testing “a total siege” of the self-ruled island, after its president met with the leader of the US House of Representatives.
The moves “serve as a stark warning against collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘external forces,'” a military spokesman, Shi Yin, said in a statement.
Today’s exercise focuses on the ability to take control of the sea, airspace and information […] to create a total deterrence and encirclement” of Taiwan, Chinese state television CCTV said.
According to that chain, destroyers, fast missile launchers, fighters and tanker planes will be deployed during the maneuvers.
The exact location of these operations was not disclosed, but on Monday they will involve live ammunition on the coast of Fujian province, just opposite Taiwan, the regional maritime authority said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.
This announcement comes after the meeting on Wednesday in California between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the head of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
Shortly after the meeting, Beijing warned that it would take “firm and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan and China separated in 1949, at the end of the civil war. The communists seized power in mainland China while the nationalists retreated to Taiwan, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and advocates regaining control one day.
Under the “one China” principle, recognized a priori by the United States and by most countries, including Argentina, Beijing opposes any formal relationship between the leaders of the island and those of other nations.
For Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, the Chinese exercises “seriously undermine peace, stability and security in the region.”
President Tsai in turn denounced China’s “continued authoritarian expansionism.”
Source: Ambito
