China Launches Military Drills Around Taiwan

Facts

• The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched two days of military drills around Taiwan early Thursday morning.¹
• The drills are being held in the Taiwan Strait, in the north, south, and east of Taiwan, as well as around some Taiwan-controlled islands such as Kinmen and Matsu.²
• Beijing launched the war games — reportedly calling them “punishment” for “separatist acts” — days after Taiwan's new President, Lai Ching-te, took charge.³
• In his inaugural address on Monday, Lai called on China, which refers to him as a “dangerous separatist,” to “cease its political and military intimidation” of Taiwan.⁴
• A PLA spokesperson also called it “a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces.” The comments come as Taiwan has, in recent years, tightened its ties with the US.³
• Responding to the Chinese military exercises on Thursday, Taiwan deployed jets and alerted missile, naval, and land units, affirming its readiness to defend itself.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²reuters.com, ³CNN, ⁴NPR Online News and ⁵CBS.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by english.news.cn. China's military drills around Taiwan are legitimate and necessary for safeguarding national sovereignty. Beijing is committed to countering Taiwan's 'independence' forces and external interference. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the US must stop supporting its independence. Any threats to China's sovereignty will be met with resolute counteractions.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Guardian. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would likely fail with US defense support, even if victory comes at a high cost to all involved. While Chinese missiles could destroy US airbases and naval vessels, any invasion force would be repelled before occupying Taiwan. Potential conflict might even destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule due to counterattacks on mainland targets, so China should resist provoking a war it can't win.

Predictions