Large-scale Chinese military drills near Taiwan are taking place just days after William Lai Ching-te, of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was sworn in as president of the self-governing democratic island on Monday.
In his inauguration speech, Lai vowed to defend the island’s democracy, and called on China to end its military intimidation.
The leadership of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under President Xi Jinping considers self-ruled Taiwan as Chinese territory that must be “reunited” with the mainland, by force if necessary.
On Thursday, Chinese Naval Colonel Li Xi told state media the drills are “strong punishment” for “separatist acts” three days after Lai was sworn in.
Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), told DW that the exercises are part of a long-running pattern “using military means to send political signals.”