President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged unity as China’s latest large-scale military drills around Taiwan entered their second day, accusing Beijing of escalating regional tensions.
“The Chinese Communist Party has continued to escalate military tension in the region, which is not the behavior of a responsible world power,” he wrote on Facebook
“Maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region is an international consensus, and Taiwan, as a responsible regional partner, will continue to uphold this goal,” Lai said.
Photo: CNA
“Taiwan will not provoke a confrontation, nor seek conflict with China,” he added.
The president thanked military and coast guard personnel for responding with “a strong sense of duty and a high level of professionalism” to what he described as threats and coercion from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the government is prepared to handle all contingencies and that Taiwanese should not be alarmed by the latest drills.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
He also called on opposition parties to swiftly review and pass the central government budget proposal for next fiscal year, along with a proposed eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget.
The PLA early on Monday announced a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan, code-named “Justice Mission 2025.”
The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said it would conduct live-fire drills in waters and airspace around Taiwan from 8am to 6pm yesterday, warning vessels and aircraft not to enter the designated drill areas.
Photo: Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command via AFP
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed that the PLA’s Long-Range Rocket Artillery forces based in China’s Fujian Province conducted a round of live-fire drills, with rockets landing in a PLA-designated drill area north of Taiwan, near Taiwan’s contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical mile (44.4km) from Taiwan proper.
The Taiwanese military employed joint surveillance measures to closely monitor the exercises, the ministry said in a statement.
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that China’s highly provocative military drills not only undermine regional peace and stability, but also threaten cargo ships, trade activities and flight routes.
The military would follow Lai’s direction not to escalate the conflict or provoke disputes, while calmly and resolutely safeguarding national security and democratic freedom, Koo said.
The PLA’s coercive and intimidating actions, which disregard international norms, employ a combination of military and nonmilitary means to carry out cognitive warfare and attempt to undermine Taiwan’s combat capabilities, while also seeking to create division within Taiwanese society, he said.
During China’s live-fire drills, Koo led senior officials at the Joint Operations Command Center in closely monitoring and assessing military readiness, including reconnaissance and surveillance, radar and air defense operations, the ministry said.
Koo praised the swift, well-coordinated response measures taken by all levels of the military.
As defenders of national security, now is the time for all military personnel to shoulder their responsibilities and continue to improve responses to enemy threats, Koo said.
The ministry would also keep people informed about the situation to defend against cognitive warfare, he added.
For example, the ministry yesterday denied on social media Chinese reports that a PLA drone had taken photographs of Taipei 101, calling it a classic case of cognitive warfare.
The ministry urged people not to be misled, saying that no large drones crossed Taiwan’s contiguous zone.
The military is continuously monitoring PLA movements, it added.
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