KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Jan 31, (AP): Almost every day, Chinese warships sail in waters around Taiwan and warplanes fly toward the island before turning back. What if they suddenly attacked?
Taiwan's military conducted a two-day exercise at sea, on land and in the air this week to practice defending against such a surprise attack. As journalists looked on from fast escort boats, a mine layer released at least a half dozen dummy mines from a chute in its stern.
Maj Gen Sun Li-fang, the chief defense ministry spokesperson, told reporters at Zuoying Naval Base in southern Taiwan that China's recent actions threaten to spark a conflict that could have devastating effects on the entire region, where billions of dollars in trade pass the 160 kilometer- (100 mile)-wide waterway separating Taiwan from China.
"Any unilateral irrational action could very easily escalate tensions and sabotage stability in the Taiwan Strait region,” Sun said. "So the Chinese Communists should immediately cease these sorts of undermining actions.”
China claims the self-governing island of 23 million people as its own territory and says it must come under Beijing's control. The long-running divide is a flashpoint in US-China relations. As relations between the rivals have deteriorated in recent years, fears have grown that America could get pulled into a war if hostilities break out.
Later in the day, journalists witnessed a simulated attack by China at a military base in the eastern county of Taitung.
Troops in red helmets representing the People's Liberation Army parachuted in, while Taiwanese army drones buzzed overhead. Taiwanese troops soon rolled onto the training course, fighting back with M60 Patton tanks, a model first introduced to the US Army in 1959 but significantly upgraded by Taiwan. Taiwan is gradually replacing some of them with M1 Abrams tanks and the HIMARS rocket system, which the US has also supplied to Ukraine.
Taiwan’s defense ministry, in a daily report, said that seven Chinese warplanes and four naval vessels were detected around the island in the 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Wednesday. It also reported a Chinese balloon off its northern coast.
A Chinese government spokesperson criticized Taiwan’s government for "creating political hype” about recent balloon sightings. Chen Binhua from the Taiwan Affairs Office said that balloons are common around the world, usually belong to private companies and are mostly used for civilian purposes such as weather monitoring.
"They have been around for a long time and are nothing new,” he said Wednesday according to a transcript of a regular briefing in Beijing.