https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3216526/taiwan-cannot-depend-us-security-guarantee-says-beijing-military-paper-pla-drills-continue-around?utm_medium=email&utm_source=cm&utm_campaign=enlz-today_international&utm_content=20230410&tpcc=enlz-today_international&UUID=ddccc17d-8c0d-4396-ab41-a00444149cf6&next_article_id=3216542&article_id_list=3216526,3216542,3216544,3216547,3216519,3216505,3216566,3216540&tc=4&CMCampaignID=9a9ac695435d29be784585191bc2bee8Taiwan cannot depend on US ‘security guarantee’, says Beijing military paper as PLA drills continue around island- PLA Daily article accuses the US of using Taiwan as a pawn and creating a ‘porcupine’ island to contain Beijing
- Island’s defence ministry says PLA planes and drones made 70 flights near the Taiwan Strait in the 24 hours until 6am on Monday
Taiwan’s defence ministry said PLA planes and drones made 70 flights near the Taiwan Strait in the 24 hours until 6am on Monday.
The United States cannot be relied on to defend Taiwan, the mainland Chinese military’s official newspaper said on Monday, as an aircraft carrier group continued with Beijing’s third and last day of planned military drills around the island.
The PLA Daily article was written under the name “Jun Sheng”, a wordplay in Mandarin meaning the voice of the military. It accused the US of using Taiwan as a pawn and creating a “porcupine” island to contain Beijing, referring to the military strategy of deterring military attacks from the mainland by making conflict too costly.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched the “Joint Sword” military exercises on Saturday in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday in California on her way back to Taiwan from Central America.
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, despite Beijing’s warnings Before the talks, Beijing warned of “resolute and powerful measures” if the meeting went ahead. The US State Department has said the Congress is a coequal branch of government, and a speaker of the House of Representatives could plan their itinerary independently.
On the weekend, the PLA simulated missile strikes against key targets on Taiwan and waters near it. It also sent warplanes and ships near Taiwan to improve its combat readiness across multiple armed services and ability to encircle the island.
The PLA Daily editorial accused the US of having ulterior motives when selling arms to Taiwan.
“Can the US’ ‘security guarantee’ be depended on? The answer is, of course, a resounding no,” the article said.
“The US’ arms sales and military ties with Taiwan in the name of providing ‘security guarantees’ are intended to take advantage of the situation to benefit the military-industrial complex on the one hand, and to seize the opportunity to turn Taiwan into a ‘hedgehog island’ and a frontier ‘ammunition depot’ to contain China on the other.
“It is clear to see the sinister intentions of using Taiwan as a chess piece and instigating chaos on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. The US does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but Washington opposes any attempt by Beijing to take the island by force. Washington has supported Taipei’s participation in international affairs and is required by the Taiwan Relations Act to arm the island to defend itself.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said PLA planes and drones made 70 flights near the Taiwan Strait in the 24 hours until 6am on Monday, with 35 of those crossing the median line of the narrow body of water or entering the southwestern and southeastern part of Taiwan’s self-declared air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
The PLA deployed 10 types of aircraft – including Su-30, J-16, J-15, J-11 and J-10 fighter jets, Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft and CH-4 and TB-001 drones – the ministry said. The ADIZ includes Taiwanese airspace but also extends beyond it. The ministry also said it had detected 11 trips by PLA ships around the strait. The PLA’s aircraft carrier group led by the Shandong continued its role in the war games around Taiwan on Monday, mainland Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The Shandong was engaged in an exercise in the western Pacific outside the first island chain last week. On Sunday, CCTV reported the aircraft carrier’s involvement in the military drills surrounding Taiwan. The broadcaster said the Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, deployed dozens of fighter jets to patrol and advance to Taiwan from the south and north, creating a posture of “surrounding the island and blockading Taiwan”.