Taiwan, China hold opposing military drills amid tensions

Taiwan is staging military exercises to show its ability to resist Chinese pressure to accept Beijing's political control over the island

Taiwan is staging military exercises to show its ability to resist Chinese pressure to accept Beijing’s political control over the self-governing island, following new rounds of threatening drills from China.

The exercises on Wednesday off the southeastern county of Hualien follow days of Chinese missile firings and incursions into Taiwan’s sea and airspace by ships and planes from the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of China’s ruling Communist Party.

“We strongly condemn Communist China’s continuous military provocations around Taiwan’s sea and air that undermine regional peace," Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told reporters at Hualien Air Force Base.

“Communist China’s military operations just provide us with the opportunity for combat-readiness training," Sun said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou said China was using recent visits by U.S. Congress members including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a pretext for escalating its attempts to intimidate Taiwan into accepting what it calls its terms for “peaceful reunification."

“China launched military provocations on these grounds. This is absurd and a barbaric act, which also undermines regional stability and interferes with shipping and commercial activities in the Indo-Pacific region," Ou said.

China sees the island as a breakaway province to be annexed by force if necessary, and considers visits to Taiwan by foreign officials as recognizing its sovereignty.