BEIJING, China: China declared on Wednesday that it would maintain military pressure on Taiwan as long as the island’s independence activities continue. This announcement comes after two days of military exercises around Taiwan last week, where Chinese warships and jets, armed with live munitions, practiced operations aimed at taking control of the self-governed island.
These drills, named “Joint Sword-2024A,” commenced three days following the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. In his speech, which Beijing condemned as advocating for independence, China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not excluded the use of force to achieve unification.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in Beijing, suggested that further military exercises could follow. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity as long as provocations on “Taiwan independence” persist.
Zhu criticized President Lai’s remarks as “extremely reckless,” warning that such statements could “inevitably risk conflict in the Taiwan Strait and cause significant harm to our compatriots in Taiwan.” She stressed that Beijing would not tolerate such provocations and would respond with firm countermeasures. Zhu highlighted that the countermeasure will be stronger the larger the provocation.
