Capital of Taiwan Taipei
China began to conduct exercises near the Taiwan Strait, which should be viewed not as a warning, but as a rehearsal for the capture of Taiwan. This is reported by the Chinese edition of the Global Times.
It is noted that on September 18, the exercises of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) began, during which PLA aircraft approached Taiwan from different directions: the southwest, west, northwest and north of the island. Taiwan's Defense Minister Chang Guanjun said Beijing used 18 J-10, J-11 and J-16 combat aircraft, some of which crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait. The exercise is believed to be a reaction to a visit to Taiwan by US Deputy Chief of State Keith Krach.
At the same time, the newspaper believes that the PLA is still rather restrained, as China should be more decisive in responding to the visits of US officials. “Every time a senior American official visits Taiwan, PLA fighters should be one step closer to the island,” the editorial office said. In the event of the arrival of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, journalists are calling for exercises over the islands themselves, launching rockets in its direction, which are supposed to fly over the residence of President Tsai Ing-wen.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the last parliamentary elections in Taiwan on January 11, and its leader Tsai Ing-wen again won a landslide victory in the presidential elections on the same day. The ruling party, like Tsai herself, advocate the independence of the island.
The threat of a Chinese invasion is hindering the official declaration of Taiwan's independence – the PRC considers unification with Taiwan to be its “fundamental interest.” In March 2005, China passed a law on the use of military force against the island if it declares independence. At the same time, it contains vague formulations: a decision will be made if all other possibilities are exhausted.
The PRC has not controlled Taiwan since 1949, when, after losing the civil war, the Communists fled there and presented the Kuomintang party. At the same time, Beijing continues to consider the island its part.
