China begins military drills in Taiwan Strait

China began three days of military exercises in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, a “serious warning” to “separatist forces” on the island, the Chinese military warned.

• Read more: After the Tsai-McCarthy meeting, China deployed warships near Taiwan

The maneuvers “serve as a serious warning against collusion between separatist forces and outside powers seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and against their provocations,” military spokesman Shi Yi said in a statement.

Despite the lack of official ties, China views with displeasure the working rapprochement in recent years between Taiwanese officials and the United States, which has provided the island with military support against Beijing for decades.

China considers Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, as one of its provinces, which has not been successfully reunited with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

After a meeting on Wednesday between Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the Chinese government pledged “firm and dynamic measures”.

The United States recognized the People’s Republic of China in 1979 and theoretically should not have official relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan), under the “One China Policy” defended by Beijing.

Since Thursday, Beijing has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan by sending warships and aircraft to the strait.

The Chinese military on Saturday announced three days of “combat readiness” exercises and “police patrols” in the Taiwan Strait.

The exact location of these maneuvers is not specified.

The narrowest part of the strait between the Chinese coast and Taiwan is about 130 kilometers wide.

Tourists and sea rage

For several days, China has strengthened its coast guard presence in the strait for exceptional patrolling.

On Saturday morning in Pingtan, the closest to Taiwan in southeast China, tourists watched the sea’s choppy waters, but no significant military activity was visible.

On Friday, AFP journalists saw a military ship and at least two military helicopters passing through the Taiwan Strait.

It is unclear, however, whether these moves represent an increase in the regular number of Chinese patrols in the area.

In August, Beijing began unprecedented military maneuvers around Taiwan, with Democrat Nancy Pelosi visiting the island ahead of Mr McCarthy.

A meeting with the American No. 3 in comparison to the summer of 2022 remains unanswered at this point. However, this puts Taipei on high alert.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said during its daily update on Saturday that it had spotted 13 aircraft and three Chinese warships around the island.