While shutting the door to dialogue with Taiwan’s new government, the Xi administration in China lashed out at its leader’s statements and overtly threatened the island with military force.
Beijing’s saber-rattling in a belligerent reaction to the newly inaugurated Taiwanese president’s speech is completely off the rails. It is far from the kind of behavior expected of a major power with significant responsibilities for peace and stability in East Asia.
Over the past two days, the Chinese military has conducted large-scale exercises around Taiwan. It established five exercise areas encircling Taiwan’s main island and designated outlying islands as part of the exercise zone, presumably simulating a maritime blockade on Taiwan. The drills were clearly aimed at intimidating the newly established administration of President Lai Ching-te.
Furthermore, a Chinese military spokesperson explained the purpose of the exercises as “a strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan ‘independence forces,’” a phrase not previously used by Beijing.
During his inaugural speech, Lai stated that Taiwan and China “are not subordinate to each other.” He called for an equal relationship with China, a demand that conflicts with China’s view of Taiwan as an indivisible part of its territory.
Indeed, Lai's speech contained some harsh words that were explicitly critical of Beijing, including “China’s ambition to annex Taiwan will not simply disappear.” However, China’s act of militarily “punishing” Taiwan for its president’s remarks, even if unacceptable ones, clearly crosses the line of reasonability and is an irresponsible response that unilaterally escalates tensions.
These exercises also have serious and direct security implications for Japan, which is situated near both China and Taiwan. The military spokesman also described the drills as “a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces,” a thinly veiled threat aimed at the United States and Japan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should urge Beijing to exercise restraint at the May 27 trilateral summit in Seoul involving Japan, China and South Korea, and on other occasions as well.
Japan, however, should maintain a cool-headed perspective when viewing and assessing what is unfolding around Taiwan.
China conducted massive military exercises that lasted seven days in August 2022 in response to the high-profile visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, who was the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives at the time. The exercises involved ballistic missiles falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Compared to those drills, the latest ones were more restrained in both scale and duration.
While there is a huge military disparity between China and Taiwan, it is simplistic and alarmist to hastily link the execution of these exercises with a potential security crisis in Taiwan.
The majority sentiment in Taiwan favors maintaining the status quo in relations with China, keeping a certain distance from China’s aspirations for unification.
Since the Democratic Progressive Party took power in Taiwan in 2016, China has cut off official dialogue. If military exercises become routine, Taiwan’s drift away from China could further accelerate.
Taiwan and China are nevertheless closely linked with daily direct flights facilitating the exchange of people and goods.
For Beijing, a wise Taiwan strategy aligned with its practical interests would focus on dialogue and exchanges, putting aside touchy issues that cannot be solved easily.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 25
EDITORIAL: We urge China to talk to Taiwan, put sovereignty issue aside
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25.05.2024
While shutting the door to dialogue with Taiwan’s new government, the Xi administration in China lashed out at its leader’s statements and overtly threatened the island with military force.
Beijing’s saber-rattling in a belligerent reaction to the newly inaugurated Taiwanese president’s speech is completely off the rails. It is far from the kind of behavior expected of a major power with significant responsibilities for peace and stability in East Asia.
Over the past two days, the Chinese military has conducted large-scale exercises around Taiwan. It established five exercise areas encircling Taiwan’s main island and designated outlying islands as part of the exercise zone, presumably simulating a maritime blockade on Taiwan. The drills were clearly aimed at intimidating the newly established administration of President Lai Ching-te.
Furthermore, a Chinese military spokesperson........
© The Asahi Shimbun
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