A plane flies over the national flag of Taiwan, in Taipei, October 15, 2024. I-HWA CHENG / AFP Taiwan detected a record number of 153 Chinese planes in one day near the island, following Chinese military maneuvers encirclement of the territory which ended on Monday October 14. These movements occurred during a twenty-five hour period ending at 6 a.m. local time Tuesday (midnight in Paris), according to data published Tuesday by the Taiwanese defense ministry, which specified that fourteen Chinese ships had also been detected. Of the 153 planes, 111 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which bisects the 180-kilometer-wide strait between the island and mainland China. The military exercises, named Joint Sword-2024B, took place a few days after a speech by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday to mark the island’s National Day. Mr. Lai had pledged to “resist Chinese annexation” of the island or “encroachment of [sa] sovereignty”. These exercises were presented by the Chinese army as a “warning” to “separatists” in Taiwan. China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces, which it has not yet succeeded in reunifying with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The Taiwanese president takes the risk of a firm speech against China Add to your selections Tokyo expresses its “concerns” The United States has denounced “unjustified” operations. Since 1979, Washington has recognized Beijing to the detriment of Taipei as the only legitimate Chinese power, but remains Taiwan’s most powerful ally and its main arms supplier. The European Union, for its part, called on all parties on Monday to “show restraint”. On Tuesday, Tokyo said it had expressed its “concerns” to Beijing about the military maneuvers the day before and sent fighter jets near the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. “The government is closely monitoring the relevant activities with extreme attention,” Deputy Government Secretary-General Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters. The latter also reported that two Chinese navy ships, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, had sailed on Sunday in waters near the island of Yonaguni. Chinese military planes then took off from Liaoning and landed there during military maneuvers on Monday, he added. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have been terrible since 2016 and the arrival as Taiwanese president of Tsai Ing-wen, then of her successor, Lai Ching-te, in 2024. China has regularly accused them of wanting to widen the cultural separation between the island and the continent. In response, Beijing notably strengthened its military activity around the territory. Le Monde Application La Matinale du Monde Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed Download the application The disputes between Beijing and Taipei date back to the long civil war which pitted communist fighters led by Mao Zedong against the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek. Defeated by the communists, who founded the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the nationalists took refuge with many civilians in Taiwan. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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