China stages military drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’

China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing its forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the biggest destroyer of peace.”

Taiwan’s aviation authority said more than 100,000 international air travelers would be affected by flight cancellations or diversions.

The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at what could be the largest-ever U.S. arms sale to the self-ruled territory and at a statement by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan. China says Taiwan must come under its rule.

The Chinese military did not mention the United States and Japan in its statement on Monday, but Beijing’s foreign ministry accused the Taiwanese ruling party of trying to seek independence through requesting U.S. support.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s targeted military exercises further confirm its nature as an aggressor and the biggest destroyer of peace,” it said.

Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a near-daily basis, and in recent years it has stepped up the scope and scale of these exercises.

Senior Col. Shi Yi, spokesperson of China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, said the drills would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island.

Shi said the activities would focus on sea-air combat readiness patrol, “joint seizure of comprehensive superiority” and blockades on key ports. It was also the first large-scale military drill where the command publicly mentioned one goal was “all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain.”

“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Shi said.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when a civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan. The island has operated since then with its own government, though the mainland’s government claims it as sovereign territory.

Drills will continue on Tuesday

The command on Monday deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles, alongside long-range rockets, to the north and southwest of the Taiwan Strait.

It carried out live-fire exercises against targets in the waters as well. Among other training, drills to test the capabilities of sea-air coordination and precise target hunting were conducted in the waters and airspace to the east of the strait.

Hsieh Jih-sheng, deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence of the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, said that as of 3 p.m. Monday, 89 aircraft and drones were operating around the strait, with 67 of them entering the “response zone” — airspace under the force’s monitoring and response.

In the sea, the ministry detected 14 navy ships around the strait and four other warships in the Western Pacific, in addition to 14 coast guard vessels.

“Conducting live-fire exercises around the Taiwan Strait ... does not only mean military pressure on us. It may bring more complex impact and challenges to the international community and neighboring countries,” Hsieh told reporters.

Military drills are set to continue Tuesday. Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration said Chinese authorities had issued a notice saying seven temporary dangerous zones would be set up around the strait to carry out rocket-firing exercises from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, barring aircraft from entering them.

The Taiwanese aviation authority said more than 850 international flights were initially scheduled during that period and the drills would affect over 100,000 travelers. Over 80 domestic flights, involving around 6,000 passengers, were also canceled, it added.

The Chinese command released themed posters about the drills online accompanied by provocative wording. One poster depicted two shields with the Great Wall alongside three military aircraft and two ships.

Its social media post said the drills were about the “Shield of Justice, Smashing Illusion,” adding that any foreign interlopers or separatists touching the shields would be eliminated.

Last week, Beijing imposed sanctions against 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives, a week after Washington announced large-scale arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion. It still requires approval by the U.S. Congress.

Under U.S. federal law in place for many years, Washington is obligated to assist Taipei with its defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China. The U.S. and Taiwan had formal diplomatic relations until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter’s administration recognized and established relations with Beijing.

Asked about the drills, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party has attempted “to seek independence by soliciting U.S. support and even risk turning Taiwan into a powder keg and ammunition depot.”

“External forces’ attempts to use Taiwan to contain China and to arm Taiwan will only embolden the Taiwan independence forces and push the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war,” he said.

There was no immediate U.S. statement on the drills.

Taiwanese army on high alert

Karen Kuo, spokesperson for the Taiwanese president’s office, said the drills were undermining the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region and openly challenging international law and order.

“Our country strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for disregarding international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries.” she said.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry released a video that featured its weapons and forces in a show of resilience. Multiple French Mirage-2000 aircraft conducted landings at an air force base.

In October, the Taiwanese government said it would accelerate the building of a “Taiwan Shield” or “T-Dome” air defense system in the face of the military threat from China.

The military tensions came a day after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said he hoped the Taiwan Strait would be associated with peace and prosperity, instead of “crashing waves and howling winds,” during a trip to Shanghai.

周一，中国军方派遣空军、海军和导弹部队在台湾岛周边地区举行联合实弹演习。北京方面称此举是对分裂势力和“外部干涉”势力的“严厉警告”。台湾方面表示已将部队置于戒备状态，并称中国政府是“最大的和平破坏者”。

台湾民航局表示，超过10万名国际航空旅客将受到航班取消或改道的影响。

此次军演是在北京对美国可能向台湾出售史上最大规模武器以及日本首相高市早苗发表声明表示愤怒之后举行的。高市早苗声明称，如果中国对台湾采取行动，日本军方可能会介入。中国则表示，台湾必须置于其统治之下。

中国军方周一的声明中没有提及美国和日本，但北京外交部指责台湾执政党试图通过寻求美国的支持来谋求独立。

台湾国防部表示，快速反应演习正在进行中，部队处于高度戒备状态。

声明称：“中国共产党的有针对性的军事演习进一步证实了其侵略者和最大和平破坏者的本质。”

北京几乎每天都向该岛派遣战机和海军舰艇，近年来更是加大了这些演习的规模和范围。

中国人民解放军东部战区发言人石毅大校表示，演习将在台湾海峡以及台湾岛北部、西南部、东南部和东部地区进行。

史表示，此次演习将重点演练海空作战准备巡逻、“联合夺取综合优势”以及对重要港口的封锁。这也是指挥部首次公开提及“岛链以外全方位威慑”这一目标的大规模军事演习。

“这是对‘台独’分裂势力和外部干涉势力的严厉警告，是维护中国主权和国家统一的正当必要行动，”史说。

自1949年内战导致共产党在北京掌权以来，中国大陆和台湾一直实行分治。战败的国民党军队逃往台湾。此后，台湾一直拥有自己的政府，尽管大陆政府声称台湾是其主权领土。

演习将于周二继续进行。

周一，该指挥部向台湾海峡北部和西南部部署了驱逐舰、护卫舰、战斗机、轰炸机和无人机，以及远程火箭。

它还对水域目标进行了实弹射击演习。除其他训练外，还在海峡以东的水域和空域进行了海空协同作战能力和精确目标搜索演练。

台湾国防部情报总参谋部副总参谋长谢继生表示，截至周一下午3点，共有89架飞机和无人机在海峡附近活动，其中67架进入了“响应区”——即部队监控和响应的空域。

在海上，该部在海峡附近发现了 14 艘海军舰艇，在西太平洋发现了 4 艘其他军舰，此外还有 14 艘海岸警卫队船只。

谢家华对记者说：“在台湾海峡附近进行实弹演习……不仅意味着对我们施加军事压力，也可能给国际社会和周边国家带来更复杂的影响和挑战。”

军事演习将于周二继续进行。台湾民航局表示，中国当局已发布通知，称将于周二上午8点至下午6点在海峡周围设立七个临时危险区，进行火箭发射演习，禁止飞机进入这些区域。

台湾民航局表示，演习期间原计划有超过850个国际航班，预计将影响超过10万名旅客。此外，还有超过80个台湾国内航班被取消，涉及约6000名乘客。

中国指挥部在网上发布了有关此次演习的主题海报，并配以挑衅性文字。其中一张海报描绘了两面盾牌，盾牌上绘有长城，旁边还有三架军用飞机和两艘军舰。

其社交媒体帖子称，此次演习的主题是“正义之盾，粉碎幻象”，并补充说，任何触碰盾牌的外国入侵者或分裂分子都将被消灭。

上周，北京对20家美国国防相关企业和10名高管实施制裁。此前一周，华盛顿宣布向台湾出售价值超过100亿美元的大规模武器。该制裁仍需美国国会批准。

根据美国联邦法律，华盛顿有义务协助台北进行防务，这一点与中国之间的争议日益加剧。美国与台湾曾保持正式外交关系，直到1979年吉米·卡特总统的政府承认并与北京建交。

当被问及这些演习时，中国外交部发言人林健表示，台湾民进党试图“通过寻求美国的支持来谋求独立，甚至有将台湾变成火药桶和弹药库的风险”。

他说：“外部势力企图利用台湾遏制中国、武装台湾，只会助长台独势力的气焰，并将台湾海峡推向军事对抗和战争的危险境地。”

美国方面尚未就此次演习发表声明。

台湾军队处于高度戒备状态

台湾总统府发言人郭嘉玲表示，这些演习正在破坏台湾海峡和印太地区的稳定与安全，公然挑战国际法和秩序。

“我国强烈谴责中国当局无视国际准则，以军事恐吓威胁邻国。”她说。

台湾国防部发布了一段视频，展示了其武器装备和兵力，以彰显韧性。视频中，多架法国幻影2000战斗机在空军基地进行了起降。

10 月，台湾政府表示，面对来自中国的军事威胁，将加快建设“台湾之盾”或“T-Dome”防空系统。

就在台北市长蒋万安访问上海期间表示，希望台湾海峡与和平繁荣联系在一起，而不是与“惊涛骇浪和狂风呼啸”联系在一起的第二天，军事紧张局势就出现了。