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| China begins military drills around Taiwan after US speaker meeting | China begins military drills around Taiwan after US speaker meeting |
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| ‘Combat readiness’ exercises come after Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen met US house speaker Kevin McCarthy this week, angering Beijing | ‘Combat readiness’ exercises come after Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen met US house speaker Kevin McCarthy this week, angering Beijing |
| China’s military has sent dozens of planes across the Taiwan Strait median line, just hours after announcing three days of drills around Taiwan in response to the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, visiting the US and meeting the House speaker. | China’s military has sent dozens of planes across the Taiwan Strait median line, just hours after announcing three days of drills around Taiwan in response to the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, visiting the US and meeting the House speaker. |
| Tsai met the speaker, Kevin McCarthy, while in Los Angeles in Wednesday, angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as a Chinese province it intends to annex. | Tsai met the speaker, Kevin McCarthy, while in Los Angeles in Wednesday, angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as a Chinese province it intends to annex. |
| On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after Tsai’s return home, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it would hold “combat readiness patrols” and exercises in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”. | On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after Tsai’s return home, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it would hold “combat readiness patrols” and exercises in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”. |
| The exercises are focused on “testing the ability to seize sea control, air control, and information control”, state media said. | |
| A few hours later Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 42 PLA fighter jets and eight warships in Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), with up to 29 of the planes crossing the median line – the de facto border in the Taiwan Strait. The PLA has sent planes and ships into the ADIZ on a near daily basis in recent years and, since the drills last August, has increased the frequency of median line crossings. | |
| A crossing by 29 planes is higher than average, and similar to figures recorded by observers during the drills held in August after then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. | A crossing by 29 planes is higher than average, and similar to figures recorded by observers during the drills held in August after then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. |
| Taiwan’s defence ministry said it would respond calmly, rationally and with a serious attitude, neither escalating conflicts nor causing disputes, after China announced plans for the drills. | Taiwan’s defence ministry said it would respond calmly, rationally and with a serious attitude, neither escalating conflicts nor causing disputes, after China announced plans for the drills. |
| “In recent years the [Chinese Communist Party] has continued to send aircraft and ships to harass the region, threatening the regional situation,” the ministry said. “It has used president Tsai’s visit to the US as an excuse to conduct military exercises, seriously damaging regional peace, stability and security.” | “In recent years the [Chinese Communist Party] has continued to send aircraft and ships to harass the region, threatening the regional situation,” the ministry said. “It has used president Tsai’s visit to the US as an excuse to conduct military exercises, seriously damaging regional peace, stability and security.” |
| The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist party, said in a commentary on Saturday that the government had “a strong ability to thwart any form of Taiwan independence secession”. | The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist party, said in a commentary on Saturday that the government had “a strong ability to thwart any form of Taiwan independence secession”. |
| “All countermeasures taken by the Chinese government belong to China’s legitimate and legal right to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said. | “All countermeasures taken by the Chinese government belong to China’s legitimate and legal right to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said. |
| On Saturday afternoon state media released a video it said depicted the morning’s drills, including long-range rocket artillery, conventional missiles, and various planes and seacraft. There has been no report or notice of intended missile launches. | |
| Tsai, who strongly rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed as the government views her as a separatist. She says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. | Tsai, who strongly rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed as the government views her as a separatist. She says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. |
| On Saturday she said Taiwan had “faced continued authoritarian expansionism” in recent years, making cooperation between democratic nations even more vital. | |
| “We will continue to work with the US and other like-minded countries to jointly defend the values of freedom and democracy,” she said. | |
| Tsai will meet a visiting US delegation of lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, later on Saturday. | Tsai will meet a visiting US delegation of lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, later on Saturday. |
| China had threatened unspecified retaliation if the meeting with McCarthy took place, having staged war games around Taiwan including live-fire missile launches in August after Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. | China had threatened unspecified retaliation if the meeting with McCarthy took place, having staged war games around Taiwan including live-fire missile launches in August after Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. |
| However, unlike in August, China has yet to announce whether it will also stage missile drills. Then, China published a map at the same time as its announcement of the drills showing which maritime areas near Taiwan it would be firing into. | However, unlike in August, China has yet to announce whether it will also stage missile drills. Then, China published a map at the same time as its announcement of the drills showing which maritime areas near Taiwan it would be firing into. |
| Taiwan and the US had warned Beijing not to use Tsai’s US visit, made during stopovers on a trip to central American allies, as a pretext for hostile activity. Taiwanese security officials had said they expected a less severe reaction to the McCarthy meeting given it took place in the US, but nonetheless had also said they could not rule out the possibility of China staging more drills. | Taiwan and the US had warned Beijing not to use Tsai’s US visit, made during stopovers on a trip to central American allies, as a pretext for hostile activity. Taiwanese security officials had said they expected a less severe reaction to the McCarthy meeting given it took place in the US, but nonetheless had also said they could not rule out the possibility of China staging more drills. |
| On Friday evening Fujian maritime authorities published a do-not-enter notice for a small sea area near Pingtan, in the Taiwan Strait, where it said live shooting drills would be held from 7am to 8pm. | On Friday evening Fujian maritime authorities published a do-not-enter notice for a small sea area near Pingtan, in the Taiwan Strait, where it said live shooting drills would be held from 7am to 8pm. |
| Earlier this week the PLA moved a strike carrier group, led by the Shandong aircraft carrier, through the Bashi channel into waters southeast of Taiwan. Japan’s defence ministry also detected PLA guided-missile destroyers and surveillance vessels sailing between the northeast coast of Taiwan and its own islands in Okinawa. | Earlier this week the PLA moved a strike carrier group, led by the Shandong aircraft carrier, through the Bashi channel into waters southeast of Taiwan. Japan’s defence ministry also detected PLA guided-missile destroyers and surveillance vessels sailing between the northeast coast of Taiwan and its own islands in Okinawa. |
| Chinese maritime authorities – which are under the same ruling body as the PLA but are not controlled by the PLA – had also announced an inspection patrol operation in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s government told Taiwanese vessels, including cargo ships and ferries, to refuse any attempt by the patrols to board, prompting concern about the potential for escalation. | Chinese maritime authorities – which are under the same ruling body as the PLA but are not controlled by the PLA – had also announced an inspection patrol operation in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s government told Taiwanese vessels, including cargo ships and ferries, to refuse any attempt by the patrols to board, prompting concern about the potential for escalation. |
| China’s announcement came hours after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, left China following meetings with senior leaders, including president Xi Jinping, in which Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. | China’s announcement came hours after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, left China following meetings with senior leaders, including president Xi Jinping, in which Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. |
| The European Union chief, Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, also said stability in the Taiwan Strait was of paramount importance. | The European Union chief, Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, also said stability in the Taiwan Strait was of paramount importance. |
| Xi responded by saying that expecting China to compromise on Taiwan was “wishful thinking”, according to China’s official reading of the meeting. | Xi responded by saying that expecting China to compromise on Taiwan was “wishful thinking”, according to China’s official reading of the meeting. |
| Reuters contributed to this report | Reuters contributed to this report |