On May 23rd, 2024 (Thursday), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military conducted large-scale exercises near Taiwan, claiming it was a “punitive” military drill against “separatist behaviors”. The CCP deployed fighter jets and simulated attacks. Military experts analyze that the political signals released by the CCP in this military exercise outweigh the military signals.
Just three days into the inauguration of Taiwan’s democratically elected President, Lai Ching-te, the CCP conducted massive military exercises near the Taiwan Strait and islands controlled by Taiwan. CCP state media also criticized Lai Ching-te, labeling him as a “separatist.”
In his inaugural speech on Monday, Lai Ching-te urged the CCP to stop its threats and emphasized that the two sides of the strait are “not subordinate to each other.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed the speech by Lai Ching-te was “shameful.”
CCP mouthpiece CCTV claimed that Lai Ching-te’s inaugural speech was “highly harmful,” expressing Taiwan’s desire for independence, undermining peace and stability across the strait.
Lai Ching-te had proposed talks with the CCP authorities multiple times but was rejected. Lai Ching-te emphasized that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future and rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The Eastern Theater Command of the CCP stated on Thursday that at 7:45 am local time, joint military exercises were conducted in areas surrounding Taiwan, involving the army, navy, air force, and rocket forces.
In a statement, the command said the exercises took place in the Taiwan Strait, northern, southern, and eastern Taiwan, as well as the surrounding areas of the islands controlled by Taiwan including Kinmen, Matsu, Wuchiu, and Dongyin. This is the first time the CCP conducted military exercises in these island areas.
CCP state media claimed that they deployed dozens of fighter jets carrying live ammunition missiles and conducted simulated strikes on high-value military targets along with warships.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense stated that 15 CCP navy ships, 16 coast guard vessels, and 33 aircraft participated in the exercise, but no live-fire exercises were conducted near Taiwan.
Dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A,” the exercise will last for two days. Unlike similar exercises in April last year, these exercises are marked with “A,” indicating possible follow-up drills.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense condemned the exercise, stating that forces have been deployed to surrounding areas. Its air defense and ground-based missile units are tracking targets, expressing confidence in protecting its territory.
The Ministry expressed, “Launching military exercises in this way not only undermines the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait but also highlights (the CCP’s) militaristic mindset.”
The Office of the President of Taiwan expressed regret over the CCP’s “unilateral military provocations” threatening democracy, freedom, and regional peace and stability, but reassured that Taiwan can ensure its own security.
In a military base near Taipei, President Lai Ching-te said, “I have confidence in the military and urge all my compatriots to rest assured.”
Over the past four years, the CCP military has conducted near-daily military activities in Taiwan’s vicinity. Prior to this, in 2023 and 2022, the CCP also held large-scale exercises near Taiwan.
A senior official from Taiwan, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned that this time the CCP was essentially looking for an excuse for its routine military activities rather than dramatically escalating tensions.
The official also noted that the exercises included crossing the median line of the strait (previously an unofficial boundary between the two sides) and conducting simulated attacks on Taiwan and foreign vessels.
Another senior Taiwan official told Reuters that Taiwan was not surprised by the CCP’s exercises. Ahead of President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration ceremony, Taiwan officials had been closely monitoring the CCP’s military movements.
CCP state media released a map of the exercise area, including five regions around Taiwan and islands controlled by Taiwan near the mainland coast. Taiwan officials informed Reuters that these regions were beyond the Taiwan island chain, 24 nautical miles from Taiwan’s mainland coast.
One official mentioned that the CCP had not declared any no-fly zones, and Taiwan had not observed any significant movements of CCP ground forces and rocket forces.
Su Ziyun, a researcher at Taiwan’s top military think-tank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, stated that although the exercises only lasted two days, they covered a wider scope compared to previous exercises by including Taiwan’s outlying islands.
He noted that the CCP’s aim was to showcase its capability to control the sea and prevent foreign military intervention, emphasizing that “the political signals here outweigh the military signals.”
In Taiwan, people have grown accustomed to the CCP’s military activities and the recent exercises did not cause panic.
The benchmark index is currently at a historic high, rising 0.3% on Thursday. A Taiwan central bank official told Reuters that the foreign exchange market was operating normally, with no abnormal inflows or outflows of foreign funds.
In August 2022, following the visit of former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the CCP immediately conducted four days of live-ammunition military exercises around Taiwan. Subsequently, several days of drills followed.
(This article references reporting from Reuters)