China concluded a two-day exercise that observers said was the largest and closest exercise ever held near Taiwan, according to Asian media.
The drills were launched three days after Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te took office and gave an inaugural speech that was opposed by China because of its stance on Taiwan.
In a statement, Lai’s official presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo reiterated that ensuring peace and stability throughout the region is “related to the common interests of the international community.”
“China’s recent unilateral provocation not only undermines the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait but it is also a blatant provocation to the international order, triggering serious concern and condemnation from the international community.”
Kuo added that Taiwan hopes “China will take the safety and happiness of the people on both sides into consideration, pursue mutual benefit, coexistence… stop all kinds of political and military intimidations on Taiwan and the region.”
According to the office, the exercises have undermined the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and raised serious concerns about condemnation from the international community.
In the past, the PLA has sent aircraft and warships into the strait as warnings, but this time the military sought to test its military integration and ability to attack Taiwan’s military and political nerve centres – centres that have appeared as strike targets on maps published by mainland China.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said Saturday that 62 PLA aircraft and 27 PLA warships were operating near the island in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. Saturday. Of those, 47 aircraft crossed the median line, the notional middle of the Taiwan Strait, which Beijing does not officially recognise but rarely crossed until 2019.
