Facing the unannounced military exercises around Taiwan by the Chinese Communist Party, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense released a video on Friday (May 24), stating that the authoritarian sword cannot pierce the shield of democracy.
On Thursday (May 23), the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Communist Party announced military exercises directed at Taiwan, conducting drills around Taiwan and the surrounding islands from 7:45 AM on the 23rd until the 24th. This military exercise was anticipated, with the intent of pressuring Taiwan’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te.
In response to the provocation from the Chinese Communist Party, the official social media account of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense posted four videos over two consecutive days. The latest video on Friday was only 35 seconds long, presented in both Chinese and English.
The video displayed: “Facing the threat of CCP military exercises, we all stand as the first line defending freedom. Unity and mutual support. The authoritarian sword cannot penetrate the shield of democracy.”
In the imagery, the sword represents the five-star flag of the Chinese Communist Party, while the shield is depicted with the flag of the Republic of China.
The Ministry of National Defense accompanied the video with the following message: “Peace is priceless. There are no winners in war. Facing the CCP’s military exercises, our belief and commitment remain in democracy and freedom. Regional stability is everyone’s shared goal, and we will continue to safeguard our beautiful homeland.”
According to the Ministry of National Defense’s statement, from 6 AM on May 23 to 6 AM on May 24, Taiwan detected 49 instances of Chinese Communist warplanes (including 35 instances crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering the southwestern airspace), 19 instances of warships, and 7 instances of coast guard vessels conducting activities near the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense has deployed surveillance aircraft, warships, and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the activities of the Chinese Communist military exercises around the Taiwan Strait.
Similar to previous exercises, this round of Chinese Communist military exercises demonstrated the strategy of “encirclement without striking” warfare. Apart from the five locations near the main island, exercise areas were marked including the outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin.
Military experts noted that compared to the Chinese Communist military exercises in August 2022 and April 2023, this exercise had a smaller scope and did not involve live-fire drills.
Vice President of Research at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Evan Feigenbaum, stated that the Chinese Communist exercises targeting Taiwan are a form of “intimidation strategy, part of its (Taiwan policy) pattern, rather than a sign of imminent war.”
He wrote on social media X platform that Beijing has a toolkit of coercion, occasionally mixing it up or escalating it, suggesting a series of threats and choices of inflicting pain on Taiwan.
Major General Lou Wei-jie, Director of the Information and Psychological Operations Division of the Political Warfare Bureau of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, explained that as the Chinese Communist Party is accustomed to using military exercises as an opportunity to conduct cognitive warfare against Taiwan, disseminating a large number of exercise images through its official media outlets and affiliated organizations, and even spreading false information to undermine the morale and unity of the Taiwanese military and civilians.
Therefore, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense has chosen to release videos through social media platforms like YouTube with subtitles in both Chinese and English to facilitate international dissemination and expose the belligerent behaviors of the Chinese Communist Party.