CHINA WATCHChinese Military Drills Test Taiwan’s Defense Readiness, Analysts Say
China wrapped up a two-day, large-scale military exercise Friday after its forces deployed 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels to areas around Taiwan. Experts say the Chinese military simulated some scenarios that would be involved in a potential invasion of Taiwan during the exercise.
China wrapped up a two-day, large-scale military exercise Friday after its forces deployed 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels to areas around Taiwan.
Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry said 82 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and some got very close to the 24-nautical-mile line that Taiwan uses to define its contiguous zone.
The military drills, branded as a “punishment” for Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, who China views as separatist, focused on conducting joint sea-air combat-readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control and joint precision strikes on key targets in
Beijing said the drills were “completely legitimate and necessary,” while Taipei criticized the Chinese military for damaging peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait with its “irrational provocation.”
This is the third time since August 2022 that China has conducted a large-scale military exercise encircling Taiwan. Some analysts say this exercise was “significantly closer” to Taiwan than similar drills in 2022 and 2023.
“This proximity further whittles away at Taiwan’s room to maneuver and further increases the chances of collision or miscommunication which could lead to escalation,” J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based security analyst, told VOA in a written response.
Other experts say the Chinese military simulated some scenarios that would be involved in a potential invasion of Taiwan during the exercise.
“They focused on joint blockade operation and joint precision strikes on key targets across Taiwan,” said Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan’s National Policy Foundation.
In addition to targeting Taiwan’s main island, Chung told VOA, the exercise was the first time the Chinese military deployed coast guard vessels to conduct joint patrols in restricted waters near Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu.
“Since Taiwanese military stations have some anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles on the outlying island of Dongyin, the Chinese military would try to simulate how to seize the island before they launch an invasion of Taiwan’s main island,” he said, noting that Beijing could be signaling its intent to build up its military’s capabilities through this exercise.
Some analysts say Chinese coast guard vessels would play an important role in helping the Chinese military to impose control over Taiwan’s outlying islands.
“The coast guard vessels could help impose blockades over Kinmen and Matsu,” said Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
