China held a live-fire exercise on its territory near Taiwan one week after launching the a large drilling rig that surrounds the island.
Chinese military exercises off the coast of Taiwan have intensified in recent years as their claims to the island’s sovereignty have increased.
Beijing announced late Monday that the area around Niushan – an island 105 kilometers from Taiwan – would be closed for a four-hour test starting at 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that China should not conduct such exercises as they threaten the stability of the region.
“No matter how big the drill is, it should not be so close to Taiwan,” he told reporters. “This will create unnecessary tension.”
Although Taipei has called the exercise an exercise, analysts believe China may be sending a message given its proximity to Taiwan.
The drills are also part of a wider campaign, which has seen Chinese ships and aircraft regularly cross Taiwan’s territory and airspace – a gray area war tactic aimed at normalizing access and weakening Taiwan for the long term.
As Chinese exercises have intensified, so have the strategies used by Taiwan’s supporters, especially the United States.
For decades, the US Pacific Fleet was the only foreign naval force that regularly passed through the Taiwan Strait that separates the two sides to ensure its freedom of navigation.
But recently, some allies of the US, including Canada, Germany, Australia and Japan has been joining this guard as part of the so-called “high visibility”.
The most recent was over the weekend, when the US and Canada moved their warships into the water.
Analysts say this represents an increase in signings from China and the US. While Beijing asserts its claims over Taiwan, Washington makes it clear that it supports the island.
A US official, however, told the BBC that Washington is keen to reduce tensions with Beijing as the US focuses more on conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.
But the long-term threat to the US still comes from China, the official said.
Last Monday, Beijing sent a record number of 153 military aircraft, as well as warships and coast guard vessels to circle Taiwan in an exercise designed to simulate a land, sea and air attack.
This followed Taiwanese President William Lai’s National Day speech on October 10, in which he pledged to “resist annexation or invasion.” [Taiwan’s] royalty”.
China and Taiwan are “not subordinate to each other”, he said, adding that China “has no right to represent Taiwan”.
China has repeatedly vowed to take Taiwan by force if necessary. Lai has long been seen as a “troublemaker” who represents Taiwan’s independence.
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