Asia-Pacific

China sends war planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan as part of large-scale military drills

Exercises coincided with visit from German lawmakers who landed in Taiwan on Monday

The exercises coincided with the visit of a group of German lawmakers who landed in Taiwan on Monday morning. Photograph: Taiwan presidential office/AP)
The exercises coincided with the visit of a group of German lawmakers who landed in Taiwan on Monday morning. Photograph: Taiwan presidential office/AP)
Mon Jan 09 2023 - 07:23

The Chinese military held large-scale combat strike drills starting on Sunday, sending war planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan, both the Chinese and Taiwanese defence ministries said.

The exercises coincided with the visit of a group of German lawmakers who landed in Taiwan on Monday morning.

Leading the delegation is Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who leads the German parliament’s defence committee.

The exercises have continued into Monday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, as it monitored Chinese warplanes and navy vessels on its missile systems.

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China’s actions “have severely disrupted the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and surrounding waters”, the ministry said.

The German lawmakers will meet with Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen, as well as Taiwan’s National Security Council head and the Mainland Affairs Council, which handles issues related to China.

[ China’s plans to annex Taiwan moving ‘much faster’ under Xi ]

China has stepped up its pressure on Taiwan’s military in recent years by sending warplanes or navy vessels on an almost-daily basis toward the self-ruled island.

China claims sovereignty over the island, which split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war.

China claims sovereignty over the island, which split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war. Infographic: PA
China claims sovereignty over the island, which split from the mainland in 1949 after a civil war. Infographic: PA

Over the course of 24 hours between 6am on Sunday to 6am on Monday morning, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flew 57 warplanes and four ships toward Taiwan, Taiwan’s ministry of national defence said in a statement Monday morning.

Twenty-eight of those planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that both sides had previously stood by.

China announced the drills at about 11pm Sunday, saying their “primary target was to practice land-strikes and sea assaults”, according to a statement from Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the PLA’s eastern theatre command.

At the end of December, China sent a record 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan, the largest such scale exercise in 2022.

[ China says it is closer than ever to unification with Taiwan ]

Taiwan will hold its annual two-day military drills starting on Wednesday. The exercise ahead of Lunar New Year holidays is aimed at showcasing its defence capabilities. – Associated Press