BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -On Friday, China’s military conducted a second day of war games around Taiwan. The drills aimed to “seize power” and target key areas.
The two days of drills in the Taiwan Strait and around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast started just three days after Lai took office. Taiwan has condemned China’s actions.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and denounces Lai as a “separatist”, decried his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he urged Beijing to stop its threats and said the two sides of the strait were “not subordinate to each other”.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a brief statement that its forces on Friday continued with their drills, dubbed “Joint Sword – 2024A”.
The exercises are to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks and occupy key areas”, it said.
China has never ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
The command showed an animated video on Friday on its WeChat social media account of missiles being launched at Taiwan from the ground, air and sea, which then slam into the cities of Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hualien in balls of flame.
Moving into diplomatic responses, the United States reaffirms its commitment to Taiwan’s defense. Meanwhile, Japan and other regional allies closely monitor the situation, calling for restraint and dialogue.
The China Taiwan war games carry significant strategic implications for the region. Transitioning into potential scenarios, experts analyze the likelihood of military conflict versus diplomatic resolution. While tensions remain high, efforts to defuse the situation through dialogue continue.
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