China has launched major military exercises close to Taiwan, saying they are “punishment” for the comments of newly elected Taiwanese president Lai Ching-Te.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has desribed Mr Lai as “separatist”, and earlier this week denounced Mr Lai’s inauguration speech, in which he called on China to stop its threats. He also said the nations on either side of the Taiwan Strait were “not subordinate to each other”.
Taiwan has scrambled its own jets and put missile, naval and land units on alert after China’s People’s Liberation Army started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force, in areas around the island at 7.45am.
Taiwan’s defence ministry called the Chinese drills an “irrational provocation that has jeopardised regional peace and stability”. It said that though Taiwan does not seek conflict, it “will not shy away from one”.
The top US general in the Pacific has condemned China’s drill, calling it “the normalisation of abnormal action”. The statement drew an immediate sharp reaction from Beijing, which asked the US to stop supporting “Taiwan independence”.
Countries including Australia, South Korea and the US have raised concerns about the escalation of tensions as they called for “peace and stability” to be maintained.