In response to the visit to the United States by Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai, Chinese military forces started moving closer to Taiwan on Saturday. They were issuing what they called a “serious warning” to separatist groups. Lai, the front-runner in Taiwan’s impending presidential elections in January, arrived back from the US on Friday after brief stops in Paraguay and the US.
Despite the strong protestations of the government of the island, China asserts its territorial claim over Taiwan, which is ruled democratically. Since 1949, Taiwan has maintained independent governance separate from China. However, the Chinese government considers Taiwan to be an integral part of its territory. The government of Beijing has expressed its commitment to finally achieve the “unification” of Taiwan with the mainland, even if it requires the use of force.
Since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s victory in 2016, cross-strait tensions have risen. Tsai has rejected a plan that Ma Ying-jeou, her predecessor, supported in order to promote stronger ties across the Taiwan Strait. Beijing has been acting more and more aggressively in the meanwhile, including flying fighter jets close to the island. Some observers worry that a Chinese strike on Taiwan may lead to a conflict between the United States and China.
According to news agency Reuters, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command, which is in charge of the area bordering Taiwan, announced that it was conducting combined naval and aviation battle readiness patrols around the island. It further stated that joint training and exercises between the navy and air forces were being conducted, with an emphasis on topics like ship-aircraft cooperation and takeover tactics, with the goal of determining the forces’ “actual combat capabilities.” This is a stern warning against Taiwan independence separatist movements collaborating with other forces to provoke, according to the statement.
Taiwanese authorities had made anticipations of China’s plans to conduct military maneuvers in close proximity to the island during the current week. These actions were perceived as an attempt to frighten voters and instill a sense of caution in the lead-up to the forthcoming presidential election, using the pretext of Lai’s visits to the United States.
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