- Taiwan’s foreign minister has said the self-governing island will fight to the end in a war with China.
- His comments come as China intensifies its military activities around Taiwan.
- This week, China sent a carrier group, as well as dozens of military aircraft, to drill nearby.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
A senior Taiwanese official warned on Wednesday that the self-governing island would fight to ‘the last day’ in a conflict with China, which has increased its military activities in the area.
“We are prepared to defend ourselves, that is without a doubt,” Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
“We will wage a war if we have to wage a war and if we have to defend ourselves until the last day, we will defend ourselves until the last day,” he added.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) 7 April 2021
The Chinese military has sent a Liaoning air force group to drill in waters near Taiwan on Monday to strengthen the Chinese navy’s ability to protect national sovereignty, security and development interests, a Chinese Defense Ministry official said. .
The spokesman added that such exercises will continue and take place regularly.
Also on Monday, ten Chinese military aircraft, including four J-10 and four J-16 fighter jets, a Y-8 anti-submarine warplane and a KJ-500 early warning aircraft, entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, CNN reported .
Shi Hong, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese magazine Shipborne Weapons, yesterday commented on the airstrikes and transport exercise, saying the ‘exercise showed that the [People’s Liberation Army] is able to surround the island of Taiwan. ‘
Shi added that the exercises send not only Taiwan but also foreign forces, such as the US and its allies, a deterrent message, which could take steps to support Taiwan in an emergency.
The U.S. is not obligated to come to Taiwan’s defense, but they see the autonomous democratic island as a partner, and often criticize Chinese attempts to put pressure on or intimidate Taiwan, and have long supported Taiwan’s self-defense. means of arms sales.
The Chinese military aircraft flights near Taiwan were frequent. Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that 15 Chinese planes, including 12 fighter jets, had entered the ADIZ, according to Reuters.
Taiwan responds to these frequent, almost daily attacks by scrambling its own fighters to intercept Chinese aircraft.
Experts believe there are several explanations for China’s military activities around Taiwan.
“I see it as a military demonstration of the competence of the PLA and as a political statement about what Chinese leaders see as their position on Taiwan’s autonomy,” said Timothy Heath, senior international / defense researcher at RAND Corporation.
He explained that such activities also send a domestic political message that Chinese leaders continue to take seriously the goal of reunification.
Then there is the training aspect of China’s military movements. He said that these exercises are apparently not a prelude to an upcoming operation, but that they are practicing.
China’s military movements come close to Taiwan because some US military leaders have expressed concern that China may decide to regain control of the island in the not-too-distant future.
The U.S. Navy Admiral, who led the Indo-Pacific commando, told a Senate committee last month that “the threat is visible during this decade.” Another admiral was expected to be his successor, arguing a few days later that this particular ‘problem is much closer to us than most people think. ‘
Last month, the Taiwanese defense minister said that “China may launch an attack, but its considerations will have to go beyond winning the first battle.”
“I always tell my friends to stop asking how many days we have to endure,” he told Newsweek. ‘The question is how many days does it do [China] want to fight? We will keep them company as many days as they want to fight. ‘
Although Taiwan is a priority interest for China, the country’s military activities in the area are apparently also focused on the US.
The Global Times on Monday specifically pointed out that the exercises of the Liaoning aircraft carrier formation near Taiwan took place at a “time when American warships, including an aircraft carrier, were making sharp provocations near China.”
The article expressed concern about the presence of Theodore Roosevelt bearing strike group in the South China Sea, as well as the destroyer USS Mustin’s movements in the East China Sea.
The Chinese military on Wednesday expressed additional frustration by accusing the US of negatively affecting peace and stability in the region after a US Navy destroyer sailed through the Straits of Taiwan. China has argued that the move sent an inappropriate message to the Taiwanese independence forces.
The navy said the destroyer “proves through the Strait of Taiwan that the US is committed to a free and open Indian Pacific”, adding that the US military will “continue to fly, sail and work” where permitted by international law. ‘