Taiwan’s defence ministry raised the alarm about a renewed surge of Chinese military activity around the island and live fire drills, accusing Beijing of policy instability that presented a serious challenge to its neighbours.
Democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory, has complained of stepped-up Chinese military activity over the past five years. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
On Thursday, the defence ministry said it had detected a second day of large-scale Chinese military activities nearby, with 29 aircraft engaged in a “joint combat readiness patrol” with Chinese warships.
The day before it warned of 43 Chinese military aircraft operating around the island.
Of these 23 flew to the south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel separating it from the Philippines and then up along Taiwan’s east coast, a ministry map showed, although without entering territorial air space.
Pointing to a visit from Sept 18 to 20 by the chief of China’s southern military command to the US military in Hawaii, the ministry said that at the same time, China carried out “multiple waves of live-fire attacks” in drills in the Yellow and Bohai seas near the Korean peninsula and Japan.
China is doing all it can to build up its military while creating the illusion of dialogue, the ministry added.
The effort “highlights the hegemonic nature of an authoritarian regime that lacks policy stability, posing a serious challenge to neighbouring countries”, it added.
In Beijing, China’s defence ministry defended the drills around Taiwan, with spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang telling reporters they were a “legitimate” activity.
China will continue to strengthen its combat readiness and organise military exercises, he added.
