Press reports reflect that China conducted “Joint Sword” drills and combat patrols around Taiwan from April 2-4, 2022, involving 71 warplanes and nine naval vessels in a show of force against Taiwan’s sovereignty according to Japan Times.
According to the Eastern Theater Command, the drills were conducted in the waters and airspace to the north, south and east of Taiwan. It warned that it is a serious warning against the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces’ collusion and provocation with external forces, and it is a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Taiwan’s defense ministry detected 45 of the warplanes crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the most in a single day since Taiwan began releasing daily tallies in 2020. The exercises were held days after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen incurred Beijing’s wrath for meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
China has not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan, which it regards as its own territory, and has denounced Tsai’s meetinyg with McCarthy as “collusion” between Washington and Taipei, promising to take “resolute and effective measures” in response. The latest military exercises by China have been criticized by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry as a threat to “regional peace, stability and security,” adding that China had “used President Tsai’s visit to the United States as an excuse to conduct the military exercises.”
Japan has watched the area with trepidation, with senior officials fearing that conflict in the Taiwan Strait would also constitute an emergency for Japan. Okinawa Prefecture’s Yonaguni Island sits about 110 kilometers from Taiwan, and growing concerns over a possible war have helped Tokyo push through a dramatic shift in security policy and boost in defense spending.
Key takeaways:
- China conducted “Joint Sword” drills and combat patrols around Taiwan from April 2-4, 2022, involving 71 warplanes and nine naval vessels in a show of force against Taiwan’s sovereignty.
- The Eastern Theater Command warned that it was a serious warning against the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces’ collusion and provocation with external forces, and it is a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry detected 45 of the warplanes crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the most in a single day since
- Taiwan began releasing daily tallies in 2020.
The latest military exercises by China have been criticized by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry as a threat to “regional peace, stability and security.” - Japan has watched the area with trepidation, with senior officials fearing that conflict in the Taiwan Strait would also constitute an emergency for Japan.