China begins military drills as warning to separatists, Taiwan calls them 'irrational provocation'

The Chinese military has begun a new round of drills near Taiwan, saying they are a warning against "separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces" and giving no date for when they will end. Taiwan said it has "deployed appropriate forces" in response to China's military drills.

Taiwan, a democratically ruled country that China considers part of its territory, has been on alert for more war games since President Lai Ching-te's National Day speech last week, which was denounced by Beijing after Lai said China had no right to represent Taiwan, even though he offered to cooperate with Beijing.

The Joint Sword-2024B drills are being held in the Taiwan Strait and areas north, south and east of Taiwan, the Chinese military's Eastern Command said in a statement.

"The drills also serve as a stern warning against the secessionist actions of Taiwan independence forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation to safeguard state sovereignty and national unity," it added in a statement published in Chinese and English.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry strongly condemned China's "irrational and provocative" action, adding that it had deployed its own special forces.

The ministry added that Lai's National Day speech highlighted the current state of cross-Strait relations and the strong will to safeguard peace and stability, and called for future cooperation in dealing with challenges such as climate change.

A senior Taiwanese security official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said they believe China is blockading Taiwanese ports and international shipping lanes as well as blocking the arrival of foreign forces.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the war games. The United States said last week that China had no justification for using Lai’s National Day speech as a pretext for military pressure.

(Reuters)