Beijing stages military drills around Taiwan to intimidate US visit

China has reacted violently to a Congressional visit to Taiwan by conducting military exercises in adjacent seas.

A task force of frigates, bombers, and fighters manoeuvred into Taiwanese waters, according to the People’s Liberation Army, to target the “wrong signals” given by the US in its show of support for Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter, largely seen as an attempted clone of the US F-35 aircraft, will resume patrols of the South China Sea in a fresh drive to control the contentious waterways, with areas claimed by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

‘This action is in response to the United States’ recent frequent release of incorrect signals on the Taiwan issue,’ People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yilu said, without identifying the visiting US congressmen.

‘The United States’ terrible acts and tactics are absolutely ineffective and extremely harmful. Those who dabble with fire will get burned,’ he remarked.

The J-20, China’s most powerful stealth fighter jet, has begun patrols of the East and South China Seas. The move will allow the warplane to better preserve China’s airspace security and marine interests, according to the Global Times, the communist regime’s mouthpiece.

During a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the technological centre as a “country of global significance” whose security has worldwide repercussions.

Taiwan manufactures 90% of the world’s high-end semiconductor goods, making it a “nation of global relevance, consequence, and effect,” according to Menendez.

‘It should be acknowledged that Taiwan’s security has a worldwide influence.’

Semiconductors are an essential component of electrical appliances, and may be found in nearly every kind of technology used for communications, computers, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and numerous other applications.

China usually bristles at the mention of Taiwan as a “country,” and sees US backing for the democratic island off its coast as an intrusion into its domestic affairs.

Although the United States has no legal connections with Taiwan, it has traditionally been its most significant supporter and guarantor of its security.

Taiwan functions under the shadow of avowed Chinese desires to’reunite’ the island with the mainland under the Chinese Communist Party’s administration.

Menendez was among a bipartisan group of six U.S. congressmen that paid a visit to the democratic island in response to persistent Chinese pressure.

He recognised that China was’very angry’ about the visit, but said the US will continue to back Taiwan, which has a population of 24 million, in its struggle with Beijing, which governs over 1.4 billion people in a virtual police state.

Taiwan has been encouraged by the Biden administration’s backing, which has frequently stated its “rock-solid” commitment to the democratically ruled island.

This has strained relations between China and the United States, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian calling the visit ‘condescending’ and ‘irresponsible.’

Zhao cautioned Thursday that the United States is “heading down the erroneous and hazardous path” by failing to follow the One China policy.

China’s Communist Party has never had control over self-ruled Taiwan, but it regards the island as part of its territory and has pledged to reclaim it one day, by force if necessary.

Taiwan’s military issued an official manual on Tuesday that advises people on how to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to store emergency supplies.

Threats against the island have become increasingly aggressive under Xi Jinping, China’s most autocratic leader in a generation, while Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine has also raised suspicions that China could soon seize its smaller neighbour.

The 28-page handbook offers information that ‘the general population may utilise as an emergency response guideline in a military crisis or natural catastrophe,’ said Sun Li-fang, a spokeswoman for the defence ministry, during an introduction at an online news conference.

This is the first time the Taiwanese military has issued such a manual.