BEIJING – Taiwanese troops on Tuesday staged live-fire exercises simulatinga response to an invasion, as China stepped up pressure on the island’sPresident Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated.
The military sent reconnaissance aircraft to observe simulated incomingships, and tanks fired rounds as the “enemy” landed at the eastern port ofHualien.
Attack helicopters fired flares and F-16 fighter jets launched simulatedassaults, backing up the ground battle against the “enemy” troops — whowore red helmets to differentiate themselves.
The ministry did not specify that the annual drill simulated an invasion byChina but said it was intended to “show determination to safeguard peace inthe Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan Strait separates the island from China. Tsai last month warnedagainst what she called Beijing’s “military expansion” — the increase inChinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power inMay 2016.
There is also a dispute about new flight routes by Chinese airlines in thestrait. Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory awaitingreunification, by force if necessary.
Cross-strait relations have turned frosty since the inauguration of Tsai,who refuses to acknowledge self-ruling, democratic Taiwan is part of “oneChina”.
The drill on Tuesday takes place annually before the Lunar New Year holidayto raise public confidence in Taiwan’s defence capabilities.
“Our combat-readiness has no holidays,” Huang Kai-sen, a lieutenantgeneral, told AFP. “In order for our citizens to feel safe during theChinese New Year, we are standing by and on guard 24 hours a day.”
Tensions have been growing this month since China began operating newflight routes in the Taiwan Strait without consulting the island. Taipeislammed the move as reckless and politically motivated, adding it couldthreaten the island’s security and endanger flight safety.
It has retaliated by blocking requests to operate 176 additional flightsbetween Taiwan and China by two Chinese airlines during the Lunar New Year— the most important holiday for both sides when tens of thousands ofTaiwanese working in China want to travel home.
China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Air on Tuesday blasted Taipei’s decisionas “unreasonable obstruction” for Taiwanese businesspeople and studentswanting to return home for the holiday.
China Eastern also said in its statement there was “no so-called safetyissues” as all the flight routes it uses had been assessed by experts.China also sent its aircraft carrier the Liaoning through the Taiwan Straittwice this month.
China’s defence ministry urged Taiwanese not to worry but the voyages wereseen as shows of strength by Beijing. – AFP