The United States is coordinating its actions with allies and partners in the region in connection with China’s ongoing exercises off Taiwan, according to a written statement by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Miller noted that the US continues to closely monitor China’s actions and coordinate approaches with allies and partners to address common challenges. He also wrote:
The United States is seriously concerned by the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. The PRC response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation.
Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Area Combat Command spokesman Li Xi said the PRC has launched a military exercise dubbed “Joint Sharp Sword-2024B” aimed at practising techniques to jointly assault, blockade and control key ports and areas in Taiwan.
The Eastern Combat Command of the PLA began the “Joint Sharp Sword 2024B” exercise on Monday involving the army, navy, air force and missile forces in the Taiwan Strait and north, south and east of the island, command spokesman Li Xi said. Xinhua news agency quoted Li Xi’s statement as saying:
The exercise is a powerful deterrent to separatist forces seeking Taiwan’s independence, it is a justified and necessary step to protect state sovereignty and preserve the unity of the nation.
According to a spokesman for the command, the manoeuvres will include joint patrols by the navy and air force, practicing “blockade and control of key ports and areas, strikes on sea and land targets, and seizing comprehensive control.”
The exercises involve PLA ships and aircraft approaching the island from different directions. The purpose of the manoeuvres, the military said, is to test the combat capability of the PLA’s Eastern Combat Command.
Taiwan emergency national security meeting
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry has already condemned Beijing’s actions. The ministry called the drills “irrational and provocative behaviour” and said it had sent “appropriate forces” to protect the island’s “freedom, democracy and sovereignty.” Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that “surveillance and intelligence assets are keeping a tight watch on the movements of Communist missile units, garrisons on all outlying islands have been placed on high alert, and aircraft and ships will respond to enemy activities in accordance with battle routines.”
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has called an emergency national security meeting and instructed relevant departments to respond to China’s large-scale exercises in the Taiwan Strait that began this morning, presidential spokesman Guo Yahui told reporters.
However, he emphasised that the President’s determination to maintain peace and stability in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region remains unchanged. Guo Yahui expressed hope that the two sides’ commitment to “healthy and orderly dialogue” would remain unchanged.
These developments unfold against the backdrop of a significantly escalated situation around Taiwan following a visit to the island in August 2022 by Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the US House of Representatives. China, which regards Taiwan as its own province, condemned Pelosi’s visit as an act of support for Taiwanese separatism by the US, and responded by holding major military exercises.
