CNN - China's military drills around Taiwan are intended to assess its capability to "seize power" over the island, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stated on Friday as its forces commenced the second day of extensive exercises encircling the democratic neighbor.
These drills, the largest in over a year, occurred shortly after Taiwan inaugurated its new president, Lai Ching-te, who is strongly opposed by Beijing for advocating Taiwan’s sovereignty and distinct identity.
Beijing has labeled Lai a “dangerous separatist” and criticized his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he urged China to halt its intimidation tactics towards Taiwan, which have intensified under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The PLA, significantly more powerful than Taiwan’s military, began the exercises on Thursday morning, deploying warships and fighter jets around Taiwan and its surrounding islands in what it described as “a strong punishment for separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces.”
On Friday, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command announced the continuation of the drills on both sides of the Taiwan island chain to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks, and occupy key areas.”
The Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan part of its territory, despite never having governed it, and has pledged to take the island by force if necessary.
Most Taiwanese are opposed to Chinese rule. However, Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in a generation, has emphasized that the island’s “inevitable reunification” with the mainland cannot be delayed indefinitely.
The two-day exercises, involving joint operations by China’s army, navy, air force, and rocket force, are taking place in the Taiwan Strait—a narrow body of water separating the island from mainland China—as well as to the north, south, and east of Taiwan, according to the PLA.
For the first time, the PLA drills also included the Chinese Coast Guard, operating around Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, located just off China's southeastern coast.
Footage aired by CCTV on Friday showed PLA soldiers positioning mobile artillery and missile systems, although no live fire was displayed.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has denounced China’s military exercises as “irrational provocations” and has deployed its own sea, air, and ground forces in response.
Between 6 a.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday, the ministry detected 49 Chinese aircraft, including 35 that crossed the Median Line, an informal demarcation in the Taiwan Strait that Beijing does not recognize but had largely respected until recent years.
A total of 19 Chinese warships and seven coast guard vessels were detected near the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry.
On ThursdayTaiwan’s presidential office expressed regret over China’s actions, stating it is “regrettable to see China threatening Taiwan’s democracy and freedom and regional peace and stability with unilateral military provocations,” and affirming that Taiwan has the “confidence and ability to protect national security.”
A large screen in Beijing shows a Chinese fighter jet taking part in China's two-day military drills around Taiwan on May 23, 2020.
Kyodo News/Getty Images
The First Week in Office
Lai Ching-te has had a busy and politically turbulent start to his presidency, succeeding two-term leader Tsai Ing-wen and marking a historic third consecutive term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The PLA’s drills present the first significant challenge for Lai, testing his ability to manage tensions with Beijing, which has declined his offer to engage in dialogue and resume cross-strait tourism and student exchanges.
On Friday, China’s Defense Ministry accused Lai of driving Taiwan into "a dangerous situation of war" and "playing with fire."
“Those who play with fire will burn themselves,” ministry spokesperson Wu Qian warned reporters, echoing rhetoric often used against Taiwan's government. “Whenever ‘Taiwan independence’ forces provoke us, we will push our countermeasures forward until the complete reunification of the motherland is achieved.”
Domestically, Lai faces turmoil in the legislature, where opposition parties favoring closer ties with China hold a majority and are pushing for greater scrutiny of his administration.
Thousands of young people have taken to the streets, protesting the opposition’s attempt to fast-track bills that would increase parliamentary power.
Despite Beijing's military display, daily life continued as usual in Taiwan. The island's 23 million residents have become accustomed to China's threats, which have grown more frequent and pronounced in recent years.
“We are not scared of the Chinese Communist Party, and we have confidence,” said Liu, an 88-year-old retiree, in an interview with CNN. “If the Chinese Communist Party does attack Taiwan, it won’t be easy for them to take Taiwan. Taiwanese people are not afraid of war.”
A 42-year-old mother Tsai mentioned she was unaware of the PLA drills. “Leaders will prioritize people’s happiness, so I’m not worried. I think peace will be maintained,” she said.
‘Blockading Taiwan’
China’s military drills around Taiwan serve domestic and international purposes, with state media significantly amplifying coverage of these exercises.
Zhang Chi, a Chinese military expert, told state broadcaster CCTV that the PLA’s operations are focusing on "practicing a new mode of blockading Taiwan."
“Taiwan is an isolated island, dependent on exports and largely reliant on imported energy. A blockade could quickly lead to economic collapse, turning it into a dead island,” Zhang explained.
The drills to the south of Taiwan are particularly critical for this blockade strategy, targeting Kaohsiung Port, Taiwan’s largest port and a key naval base. Meanwhile, the exercises to the east aim to cut off the island’s energy imports, escape routes for “Taiwan independence” forces, and support lines from the US and its allies.
The US maintains close but informal relations with Taiwan and is legally obligated to provide the island with defensive weapons.
Zhang highlighted that the drills represented “a breakthrough” by entering waters near Wuqiu and Dongyin, areas of significant geographical importance.
“The Taiwanese military views these locations as frontline outposts for Taiwan Strait defense operations. This exercise further restricted the operational space of the Taiwanese military,” he said.
Analysts noted that the involvement of the China Coast Guard near the outlying islands was a significant new element of these drills, following previous encirclement exercises in August 2022 and April 2023.
“The Coast Guard’s presence near these offshore islands is provocative,” said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center. He predicted such Chinese activities would persist and “become the norm,” with Beijing able to turn an exercise into a real military operation at any time.
Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the nonpartisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated that the pattern of exercises around Taiwan does not signal an imminent invasion threat.
“These drills blur the lines between peace and war, allowing future exercises to potentially serve as a pretext for an actual invasion,” Singleton said.
However, Singleton and others believe the exercises send a larger political message than a military one.
“Joint Sword - 2024A aims to reactivate the military pressure lever to influence the new (Taiwan) administration and its narrative,” said Lionel Fatton, assistant professor of international relations at Webster University in Geneva, referring to China’s name for this week’s drills.
Beijing hopes that the pressure from these drills will exacerbate divisions within Taiwan, potentially weakening the island from within.
“Constant and visible military pressure on the island will also help polarize the political apparatus and potentially the social fabric itself,” Fatton added.
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