International Desk: China has started a two-day military exercise around the island nation on Thursday (May 23) to “severely punish” Taiwan for its “separatist behavior.”.
The military exercise is believed to be China’s response to China’s condemnation of Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching, after he was sworn in. China called the Taiwan president’s speech an ‘acceptance of responsibility for independence’.
Communist China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and is not backing down from its determination to bring the island under its rule, even if necessary, using force. Therefore, as an example of the use of force, Chinese warplanes and military ships are patrolling around Taiwan in this military exercise today and tomorrow.
China’s military says the exercise is a test of its armed forces’ ability to fight.
Taiwan, on the other hand, said its armed forces were deployed to “defend independence” immediately after China’s announcement. In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it condemned China’s unreasonable provocations and said such actions would undermine regional peace and stability.
“We have deployed our armed forces to respond by sea, land, and air to protect the independence, democracy, and sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan),” the statement said, referring to Taiwan’s official name.
Last Tuesday, China strongly protested and warned Taiwan’s president’s statement. In that inaugural address, President Lai Ching hailed Taiwan’s “glorious” new era of democracy.
In response to this speech, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, warned that Taiwanese separatists would go down in history. Earlier, China called Lai Ching a ‘dangerous separatist’ and said he would invite war.
Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle
