Taiwan: Beijing sends dozens of military planes around the island
Thirty-six Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan, the island's Ministry of Defense announced on Friday March 22. This is the largest deployment this year, in reaction, according to several analysts, to visits by a Taiwanese official to Europe.
F-16V fighters taking off from the Chiayi base, south of Taiwan, on January 5, 2022 (illustrative image). AFP - SAM YEH
By: RFI with AFP
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The Chinese deployment of this Friday, March 22, even more important than that of the day before, is in line with what experts call “gray zone” actions, intimidation tactics without going as far as war. , which have multiplied since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen. Tensions with China have also increased since the presidential election of January 13, won by the current vice-president Lai Ching-te, little appreciated by Beijing.
Thirty-six Chinese military aircraft and six warships were detected around Taiwan in the last 24 hours up to 6 a.m. local Friday (10 p.m. UT Thursday), the island's Defense Ministry said. “
Thirteen of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait
,” the ministry said, an unofficial demarcation between China and
Taiwan
that the former does not recognize.
“
War and Decline
”
The previous evening, the ministry announced that twenty fighter planes, drones and transport planes had been detected. Earlier, 32 military aircraft were sighted, in a 24-hour period up to 6 a.m. Thursday. Before Lai Ching-te's election in January 2024, Beijing warned that he would bring "
war and decline
" to the island. Mr Lai is due to take office on May 20 alongside Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Ms. Hsiao, former
de facto
ambassador of Taiwan to the United States, has made visits to the European Union in recent days, notably to the Czech Republic and to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “
Our fight for freedom and democracy is more shared than ever, and the Taiwanese people can be assured that they will always find dear friends among Europeans
,” wrote French MEP Dominique Riquet, a member of the centrist Renew group, on the social network X Thursday.
On Tuesday March 19,
China
criticized Ms. Hsiao's visit to the Czech Republic, accusing her of trying to serve "
the goal of Taiwan's independence
", a red line for Beijing. According to analyst Wen-ti Sung, Beijing's renewed military activity could be a "
show of force to convey its dissatisfaction with Taiwan's growing international engagement
." “
If this can discourage other international leaders from meeting Ms. Hsiao in the future, it is a win for Beijing
,” he told AFP.
“
Foolproof
”
Military expert Su Tzu-yun also cited other reasons for Beijing's discontent, including the recent meeting in Manila between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. China and the Philippines both claim sovereignty over competing areas in the South China Sea. Earlier this week, Blinken said the United States was sticking to its
“
ironclad ”
commitments
to defend its ally, triggering a sharp response from Beijing.
“
China's behavior is not only directed against Taiwan, but Taiwan will be the one that will come under the most pressure
,” Mr. Su, a military expert at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Research, told AFP. in terms of security. Incidents
at
sea between Beijing and Taiwan have further added to tensions. On February 14 in particular, a ship was chased by the Taiwanese coast guard for having, according to them, entered the waters of Kinmen, a small archipelago administered by Taipei. Two people lost their lives during the collision. Beijing accused the Taiwanese authorities of “
seeking to evade their responsibilities
”, while Taipei highlighted the erratic behavior of the boat.
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