Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6am Monday until 6am Tuesday.
The Chinese military said it had launched large-scale drills in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday, as it warned the self-ruled island against seeking independence.
The joint exercises involve navy, air ground and rocket forces and are meant to be a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,” according to Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command.
It comes after Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-Te called Beijing a “foreign hostile force” last month.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favour their de facto independence and democratic status.
Following the drill announcement, the Chinese military also released a series of propaganda videos, depicting Chinese warships and fighter jets around Taiwan.
A video titled “Shell” showed Lai as a cartoon bug spawning parasites. “Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing Island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction,” the animation said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6am Monday until 6am Tuesday.
It added that it had been tracking the movement of the Shandong aircraft carrier since Saturday and that the carrier group had entered into Taiwan’s identification zone, a self-defined area tracked by the military.
“I want to say these actions amply reflect its destruction of regional peace and stability,” said Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo.
Taiwan has set up a central response group to monitor the latest exercises, Koo said.
China’s Coast Guard also announced it was conducting a “law enforcement patrol” on Tuesday around Taiwan, its spokesperson Zhu Anqin said.
The drills come just two weeks after a large-scale exercise in mid-March, when Beijing sent a large number of drones and ships toward the island.
Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a daily basis, seeking to wear down Taiwanese defences and morale, although the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people reject its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.
Faced with the rising threat from China, Taiwan has ordered new missiles, aircraft and other armaments from the US, while revitalising its own defence industry.
Taiwan and China split amid civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have risen in recent years as communication between the two governments has stopped.
