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President of Taiwan denounces China’s drills as irresponsible

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President of Taiwan denounces China's drills as irresponsible

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has criticized China for conducting military exercises for three consecutive days around the self-governed island, stating that they were reckless and jeopardized regional stability.

Although Beijing concluded its military maneuvers on April 10th, which simulated attacks on the territory of 23 million people, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that eight Chinese vessels were still active “in the waters surrounding Taiwan” on Tuesday morning.

The military exercises commenced after Tsai’s return from a trip to Central America, where she made two stopovers in the United States and held a significant meeting with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. China labels Tsai as a “separatist,” and in response, she mentioned that visits to friendly nations were a “long-standing practice” and anticipated by the Taiwanese people.

Late on Monday night, Tsai took to her Facebook page and criticized China, stating, “China uses this to initiate military drills, causing instability in Taiwan and the surrounding region. This is an irresponsible behavior for a prominent nation in the area.” Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China and has not excluded the possibility of using force to gain control of the island.

According to state media reports, the recent military exercises involved simulated assaults on Taiwan, including an “aerial blockade” conducted by dozens of planes. The Eastern Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army stated that the drill “comprehensively tested the integrated joint combat ability of multiple military branches under actual combat conditions.”

The military exercises conducted by China around Taiwan did not seem to be as extensive as the military activity that occurred after the visit of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August last year. However, Japan also criticized the recent drills, as its southernmost islands are situated near Taiwan, and it is home to a significant US airbase in Okinawa.

According to a report by Reuters news agency, Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada described the drills as “intimidating training” aimed at seizing control of sea and air around the island. Hamada further stated that China appeared to have taken an “uncompromising attitude” towards issues related to Taiwan through these military exercises.

Since Tsai was elected president in 2016, Beijing has increased its pressure on Taiwan. During her recent visit to Central America, Tsai visited Guatemala and Belize, which are Taiwan’s remaining formal allies in the region after Honduras announced last month that it was switching its allegiance to Beijing.

President Tsai Ing-wen has stated that Taiwan’s future should be decided by its people, and has criticized Beijing for engaging in “dollar diplomacy” to reduce Taiwan’s formal allies to just 13, down from 22 when she took office.

Even though the number of Taiwan’s formal allies has decreased to 13 from 22 since Tsai’s presidency, the Taiwanese government still maintains strong informal connections with many governments. Additionally, it has hosted many legislators from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. Last year, Taiwan also opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania, it’s first in Europe in 18 years, which sparked outrage from Beijing.

President Tsai expressed her gratitude to Taiwan’s military for their defense of the island in a Facebook post. The Ministry of National Defense stated that they would continue to closely monitor the movements of the Chinese navy near Taiwan.

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