China Ends Its Biggest Military Drills Around Taiwan In A Year
China has concluded expansive military exercises around Taiwan, held in the wake of Lai Ching-te’s inauguration as the island’s president.
(Bloomberg) -- China has concluded expansive military exercises around Taiwan, held in the wake of Lai Ching-te’s inauguration as the island’s president.
The Chinese army has “successfully completed all the missions” directed against Taiwan, state-run military news channel CCTV reported on Saturday. A total of 111 Chinese aircraft and dozens of naval vessels had surrounded the self-ruled island over the past two days, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.
The latest drills started a “new era of normalized practices,” Zhang Chi, associate professor of the China People’s Liberation Army National Defense University, said in an interview with CCTV. “The PLA will stake a step forward each time the Taiwanese separatists make a provocative act,” Zhang said.
Beiijng has signaled its displeasure with Taipei’s new government in recent days, accusing Lai of seeking independence and destabilizing the region. The Chinese military’s latest drills were the biggest in a year around the island.
The exercises were intended to “serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” China’s Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a military spokesman.
“China’s recent unilateral military provocations have not only undermined the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also openly provoked the international order, and aroused serious concern and condemnation from the international community,” Taiwan presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement Saturday. Taipei calls on China to “shoulder global responsibility with Taiwan and work to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and the region,” sh said.
The drills add to the complications Lai faces, among them a divisive campaign by rival parliamentarians to rein in the president’s powers. The opposition is pushing through changes to the law that would expand lawmakers’ ability to investigate the government, bringing thousands of people on to the street in protest.
Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the legislature in Taipei on Friday night rallying against the bill, while smaller demonstrations were reported in other cities around the island of 23 million people.
The opposition Kuomintang, China’s preferred negotiating partner in the chipmaking hub, had pushed to finalize the amendments as early as Friday.
The president’s party was able to slow the passage of the bill, ensuring it wasn’t approved before the meeting adjourned around 11:30 p.m. local time. Crowds are expected to gather again Tuesday when the parliament session on the bill is scheduled to resume.
--With assistance from Kathy Chen, Samson Ellis and Debby Wu.
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