Global Courant 2023-04-26 07:58:43
TAIPEI – China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that authorities will be prepared and highly alert to any damage to China’s sovereignty and territory, following media reports of EU calls for naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait.
In an op-ed in the French newspaper Le Journal Du Dimanche, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.
China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military pressure over the past three years to try to assert its claim to sovereignty.
This year’s annual Han Kuang exercises in Taiwan will be aimed at combating a blockade of the island and preserving the combat power of the armed forces, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.
China this month practiced precision strikes and blockades of the island during exercises around the island, which were organized after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said the Han Kuang exercises would be split into two parts: table exercises from May 15 to 19, and then troop mobilization from July 24 to 28 with live-fire exercises.
The focus will be on the “maintenance” and “maritime interception” of the armed forces,” it said.
That includes using civilian airports and distributing aerial assets, as well as disguising troops on the ground, the ministry said.
The naval portion will integrate naval, air and land forces to attack enemy forces and amphibious assault ships, as well as protect sea routes to counter blockade efforts, it said.
Beijing has never refrained from using force to take control of the island. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty and has vowed to defend its freedom and democracy.
Taiwan is trying to increase its defensive capabilities by investing in new equipment such as long-range missiles and drones and extending compulsory military service to one year.
While the Taiwanese military is generally well-trained and well-equipped with mostly US-made hardware, China has huge numerical superiority and adds advanced equipment such as stealth fighters. REUTERS
