China’s military carried out large-scale military maneuvers near Taiwan on Monday that a government spokeswoman said were set in motion partly to protest a U.S. policy shift on the island’s status.
The Taiwan Defense Ministry said it detected two People’s Liberation Army “joint combat readiness patrols,” one in the morning and a second in the afternoon with 54 warplanes.
A total of 42 of the warplanes, including J-10 fighters and drones, crossed the median line down the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s air defense zone. PLA navy warships also took part in the air-sea joint training, the ministry stated on X.
Beijing’s frequent military activities have upset the fragile status quo that has kept the peace across the waterway for decades, according to U.S. officials. China contends Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory and has criticized what it says are moves by the current government in Taipei toward independence.
When asked about the new military maneuvers, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a Beijing briefing that the U.S. recently took a series of “wrong steps” on Taiwan.
Ms. Mao specifically criticized the State Department’s revision of a fact sheet on Taiwan last month that removed the phrase, “We do not support Taiwan independence.” The department described the change was a routine update.
The fact sheet continues to state that the U.S. opposes any unilateral change by either Taiwan or China to the current status quo.
The dropped wording is a sign that “the U.S. gravely backpedaled on its position on Taiwan-related issues,” Ms. Mao said.
“This is another egregious example of the [United States’] intention of using Taiwan to contain China, and its move to abet and aid Taiwan independence,” she said. “China’s relevant military operation is necessary, lawful and legitimate in order to defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”
The exercises are a response to external forces “hell-bent” on supporting Taiwan independence and “a warning” to separatist forces, she added.
The comments were an unusually direct response to the questions about frequent PLA military drills near Taiwan, drills that the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has characterized as rehearsals for a potential invasion.
China has been sharply increasing both the size and number of its military operations near Taiwan, part of what military officials have said is a pressure campaign against the Taipei government.
Taiwan has been independent of mainland control since 1949, when Nationalist forces fled to the island during a civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communist forces. The spokeswoman said those who seek to contain China through Taiwan “will get burned for playing with fire.”
The new Trump administration continues to support Taiwan, but has been less clear about its rhetorical backing than the previous Biden administration.
Trump officials want Taiwan to quadruple annual defense spending from the current 2.5% of GDP to 10%. The administration also has questioned a past deal with the Taiwan semiconductor manufacturer giant TSMC to build chips in the U.S. as less beneficial for the U.S. economy.
Despite imposing new tariffs, President Trump also has said he wants good relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and — unlike his immediate predecessor — has declined to state clearly that the U.S. would use military force to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack.
Mr. Trump said in January that he “always had a great relationship” with Mr. Xi and looks forward to “getting along with China.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also commented on the latest military exercises, warning that if the administration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te “dares to provoke and play with fire, it will only bring about its own destruction,” Reuters reported from Beijing.
Taiwan’s government also is stepping up its own rhetoric in the war of words between Beijing and Taipei.
Last week, Mr. Lai described China as a “foreign hostile force,” saying its actions have forced the island’s military to take new national security steps.
Mr. Lai said the remarks were a response to what he called China’s mounting “gray zone” warfare attacks — those below the level of armed conflict — and its attempt to infiltrate Taiwan’s government, military and society.
The threats posed by China leave Taiwan “no choice but to take even more proactive measures,” he said. “China has been taking advantage of democratic Taiwan’s freedom, diversity and openness to recruit gangs, the media, commentators, political parties and even active-duty and retired members of the armed forces and police to carry out actions to divide, destroy and subvert us from within.”
To better prepare the nation’s defenses, the Taiwan armed forces plan to reestablish a peacetime military course system to prosecute military crimes, including espionage. More than a dozen current and former Taiwanese military officers have been charged with spying for China in recent years.
