Taiwan faces massive new naval deployment from China, largest since 2022

This is the largest naval deployment since August 2022 in Taiwan. The island state, which China considers one of its provinces, said on Tuesday, December 10, that it was facing a massive deployment from Beijing near its waters. A situation which has been accentuated since 2022, when Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the American House of Representatives, visited Taipei. A senior security official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that nearly 90 vessels were deployed in the waters of the East and South China seas, as well as in the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from the mainland. This number is higher than that of the 2022 maneuvers, according to Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang. On August 2, 2022, Nancy Pelosi went to Taiwan for a visit which triggered the fury of Beijing. China considers that it has not yet succeeded in bringing the Taiwanese archipelago back into its fold since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. It does not exclude the use of force to achieve this and considers any visit to Taiwan by senior foreign officials as a provocation. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers One military exercise after another, China is preparing for a potential invasion of Taiwan Read later In response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit, Beijing mobilized combat planes, helicopters and warships to simulate a blockade of Taiwan, carrying out “attack against targets at sea” exercises, the official Xinhua news agency then reported. These maneuvers were the first to be organized so close to Taiwan, up to a minimum of twenty kilometers from its coasts. They also took place in the east of the island, in a vital area for the supply of Taiwanese military forces. China also launched ballistic missiles during these exercises, shots condemned by Washington. One hundred and fifty-three planes spotted near Taiwan Before putting forward a higher figure than in 2022, the Taiwanese authorities had already reported the detection of 47 planes and 12 Chinese military ships near the island over a period of twenty-four hours up to 6 a.m. local time, Tuesday (11 p.m. in Paris, Monday). This was the highest since Chinese military maneuvers to encircle the territory in October, when a record number of 153 planes were spotted close to Taiwan in one day. The latest Chinese deployments come days after the end of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s Pacific tour, which sparked strong protests from Beijing. They also come the day after China imposed vast air restrictions off its east coast. In response, the Taiwanese authorities announced that they were undertaking “combat preparation maneuvers” and placing their armed forces on “high” alert, after detecting Chinese military ships and coast guards near the island. In the process, Beijing said it wanted to “firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, describing Taiwan as an “inalienable” part of China. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, visiting Europe to strengthen the island’s ties with “democracies” Read later The Pacific tour of the Taiwanese president denounced The Pacific tour of M Lai, described as a “dangerous separatist” by Beijing, was his first trip abroad since taking office in May. This trip notably took him to two American territories, Hawaii and Guam, where several strategic military bases are located. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover It aimed to strengthen international support for Taiwan, while Beijing seeks to bring to its side the rare allies who remain and opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign countries. Mr. Lai notably spoke by telephone with the Speaker of the American House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, during this tour, arousing the ire of Beijing. China, in response, urged the United States to “stop sending the wrong signals” to “Taiwanese independence forces”. And warned Taiwan against any attempt to “aim for independence with the help of the United States”, affirming that it would “inevitably fail”. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Between Taiwan and China, the chip war is a battle for talent Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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