TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan urged democracies worldwide to condemn China for being a “troublemaker” after Beijing launched military drills around the island.
China’s military said Tuesday it had kicked off joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan as a “stern warning,” days after U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia.
Forces from China’s People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, were approaching Taiwan from “multiple directions,” according to a statement from the Eastern Theater Command, which oversees military operations in the region, posted on the command’s official WeChat account.
It said the drills would focus on “combat readiness patrols at sea and in the air, seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets and imposing blockade controls on key areas and routes.”
Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 19 PLA ships around Taiwan by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, including the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong. It deployed aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response.
“Taiwan’s military vowed to remain vigilant and adhere to the principle of not escalating conflicts or provoking disputes while effectively countering gray-zone threats,” the ministry said in a press release.
Taiwanese defense minister Wellington Koo Li-Hsiung said that the PLA’s actions undermine regional peace and stability, making it evident that they are a “major troublemaker.”
“Recent reports have exposed widespread corruption within the Chinese military, suggesting that they should focus on addressing their internal issues rather than engaging in activities that disrupt regional peace,” he told journalists at a press conference Tuesday.
Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council under the chairmanship of the island’s president, condemned the drills as “reckless” and “irresponsible” in threatening Taiwan as well as peace and stability in the region.
“It came without justification, violates international laws and is totally unacceptable. Democracies need to condemn China for being a troublemaker,” Wu said in a post on the social platform X.
The latest Chinese military drills came days after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth vowed to enhance America’s military alliance with the Philippines to counter “China’s aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region during his first trip to Asia last week.
He also called Japan an “indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” including across the Taiwan Strait.
RELATED STORIES
US to send advanced military hardware to Philippines
Hegseth: US committed to defense of Pacific territories against China
Pentagon chief Hegseth heads to Philippines amid South China Sea tensions
Beijing asserts that Taiwan is part of its territory and is steadily developing the military capacity to take it by force. While analysts say China hasn’t yet reached that point, it has made notable progress. In the meantime, it employs military pressure – such as drills – and other coercive tactics to try to compel Taiwan into submission.
China has conducted numerous military drills targeting Taiwan in recent years, typically in reaction to what it views as separatist or pro-independence actions.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, elected last year to continue the leadership of the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party, has adopted a firm stance on cross-strait relations.
Just last month, he labeled China a “foreign hostile force” under national security law and introduced several initiatives aimed at curbing its expanding influence and espionage activities.
Edited by Taejun Kang and Stephen Wright.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Alan Lu for RFA.