In a new chapter of Sino-Taiwan tensions, Taiwan’s presidential office on Monday denounced China’s recent military exercises near the island and said that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and region is the joint responsibility of Taiwan and China. .
“Taiwan’s position is clear: it will not escalate conflicts or stir up controversy, but will defend its sovereignty and security,” the presidential office said in a statement.
And the Chinese army announced that it conducted combat exercises around Taiwan on Sunday, focusing on land and sea attacks, the second such exercise in less than a month.
The Chinese Army’s Eastern Region Command said in a statement late Sunday that its forces conducted “joint alert patrols and active combat exercises” in the sea and airspace around Taiwan.
The brief statement said that the purpose of the exercise is to test joint combat capabilities and “resolutely counter the provocative actions of outside forces and separatist forces demanding Taiwan’s independence.”
China conducted a similar exercise late last month, and Taiwan said at the time that 43 Chinese aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer between the two sides.
For the past three years, China has made regular incursions into the waters and airspace near Taiwan. China considers Taiwan its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to take control of the island.
China held military exercises near Taiwan in August after Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taipei.
