In one of its most aggressive measures against Taiwan so far, China on Thursday launched a massive joint military exercise Thursday to blockade the island.
According to the Global Times, the move was aimed “to punish “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces and to send a warning to external interference forces following Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te’s separatist inaugural speech on May 20.”
While the PLA said the massive military exercise is focused on naval and air combat readiness, seizing battlefield control, strike precision and patrols, analysts said the exercise aims to simulate a total blockade of the island.
The Global Times quoted Senior Captain Li Xi, a spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, as saying the military services including the army, navy, air force and rocket force of the theater command are being organized to conduct the joint drills, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, from Thursday to Friday.
“Any separatist activity for “Taiwan independence” will be resolutely pushed back by the 1.4bn Chinese people. Anyone seeking “Taiwan independence” will find themselves on a collision course with the historic trend of China’s complete reunification,” warned Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, describing the exercises around the island as a “serious warning”.
#UPDATE China said Thursday that those supporting independence for Taiwan would be left with "heads broken and blood flowing" and that its military drills around the self-ruled island sought to send a "serious warning". pic.twitter.com/v85k24S1OT
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 23, 2024
In an earlier warning during the regular foreign ministry briefing on May 21, Wang said: “The historical trend is unstoppable. “Taiwan independence” is doomed to fail! There is no way out for external forces to interfere in China’s internal affairs and condone and support “Taiwan independence”.
“Using Taiwan to control China” is bound to fail. The just cause of the Chinese people to oppose “Taiwan independence” and strive for national reunification will surely receive more and more understanding and support from the international community, and the day when China will achieve complete reunification will eventually come,” he said.
The South China Morning Post quoted analysts as saying that the drill was planned before William Lai’s inauguration and calibrated to ‘signal displeasure, but hopefully not escalate.’
PLA is conducting the Joint Sword 2024A exercise.
We are simulating a blockade of the island of Taiwan.
Thanks to the anti-China forces, we have now made blockade of Taiwan a regular exercise.
Next step is to make it permanent. pic.twitter.com/39JqPR8BD2— Zhao DaShuai 东北进修🇨🇳 (@zhao_dashuai) May 23, 2024
“While the possibility of war across the Taiwan Strait remained low, the drill represented China’s focus on blockading the island instead of entering a direct confrontation and considered it would cost Beijing relatively little and cause less damage on the island,” the SCMP quoted analysts as saying.
They said “low-intensity military actions such as a blockade strategy could reduce the possibility of intervention by Washington, which is bound by its 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, and could shore up Beijing’s control of the situation.”
