(NewsNation) — Calling it “strong punishment” for Taiwan’s “separatist acts,” China has begun a two-day military exercise that encircles the island nation, according to state media and several news outlets, including Stars & Stripes.
The show of strength, code-named “Joint Sword-2024A,” comes three days after Taiwan’s new president assumed office.
In his inaugural address, William Lai Ching-te called on China to stop its “intimidation” of Taiwan, which China has long claimed as its own. China has labeled Lai a “troublemaker” and a “separatist.”
Taiwan places military on ‘high alert’
The drills involve ships and aircraft positions around Taiwan and several nearby islands in what China calls an attempt to “test the joint real combat capabilities of the forces of the command.” The drills are expected to last through Friday.
A map released by China shows the exercises centered on Taiwan, but for the first time, their operations include a chain of islands that are closer to China.
Taiwan says it has placed its military on “high alert” in response to China’s drills, which it calls “irrational provocations and actions that disrupt regional peace and stability.”
US general warns of Taiwan-China conflict
Hours before Thursday’s drills, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, the deputy commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, spoke about China’s military build-up, which he calls the largest since World War II.
“I cannot underscore enough how devastating conflict in the Indo-Pacific region would be. At stake would be untold numbers of lives, trillions of dollars in global economic damage,” Sklenka said.
Taiwan and China split after the 1949 civil war that brought Mao Zedong and his brand of communism to power. Since then, China has regarded self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province that must eventually be reunified.
China has refused to rule out using military force to do so.
China held large-scale drills in 2023
Almost daily, China sends ships and planes to intimidate Taiwan, but the recent actions have been unprecedented in scale.
The last large-scale military drill near Taiwan occurred in April of last year, following a visit by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Taiwan isn’t the only U.S. ally in the Pacific experiencing the effects of China’s aggression; Vietnam and the Philippines have also seen an increase in military drills.