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TAIWAN has mobilised its sea, air and land forces in response to a surprise Chinese military invasion drill.
China deployed 32 aircraft alongside its warships and announced “live-fire exercises” just off the island’s coast.
The shocking military drill was conducted just a few miles off the island’s coast near Kaohsiung and Pingtung – where Taiwan has naval and air bases.
Taiwan’s military responded by sending sea, air and land forces to “monitor, alert and respond appropriately”, the country’s defence ministry said.
It added: “This move not only caused a high degree of danger to the safety of international flights and vessels at sea but is also a blatant provocation to regional security and stability.”
China has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan in recent years to press its claim of sovereignty over the island, which Taipei rejects.
Just days ago, China launched shock war drills near Australia and New Zealand forcing flights to dramatically divert.
The unusual appearance of Chinese naval ships in the Tasman Sea sparked fears, putting the area on high alert.
Airlines like Emirates, Qantas, and Air New Zealand flights reported changing their flight paths over the Tasman Sea.
China’s potential live-fire drills were a shock to Australian authorities who reportedly only learned about these exercises from surprised commercial pilots, Defense Minister Richard Marles revealed on Friday.
The drills come after Taiwan seized a Chinese-crewed cargo ship on Tuesday suspected of severing a subsea telecoms cable serving Taiwan’s Penghu island group.
There is growing concern in Taiwan over the security of its cables after a Chinese-owned cargo ship was suspected of cutting one northeast of the island this year.
SHOW OF STRENGTH
This has not been China’s first shock military exercise on the waters.
Xi Jinping’s military has increased its naval presence around its neighbours too.
China’s President issued a brutal New Year warning to Taiwan as the nation continues its war games against the self-ruled province.
Bringing the self-governed province back in line with mainland China has been a goal of Xi’s for a long time and recent military activity has shown that China is ready to take it back by force.
A swarm of fighter jets and warships were launched to circle and intimidate the island in October 2024.
AÂ damaged deep-sea cable, off the coast of Taiwan in January, launched fears of potential Chinese sabotage.
A telecommunications cable was reportedly damaged near Yehliu, New Taipei City.
Officials believed the cable was cut near the busy port of Keelung on Taiwan’s north coast.
Inside China’s bid to absorb Taiwan
China under President Xi’s rule has come to the edge of an all-out war with Taiwan, a move that could drag western powers in the Indo-pacific region.
China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out force to take the island.
Amid rising fears of a third world war come increasing concerns of China launching a full-blown invasion to absorb Taiwan in the Chinese mainland.
Beijing has already threatened to spark “uncontrolled escalation” and all-out warfare over one “misunderstanding”, as President Xi Jinping looks to stamp his authority.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington’s foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
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