China concludes military drills around Taiwan, announces plan to regularise activities

The Chinese military announced on August 10 that various military drills around Taiwan are 'successfully' concluded, according to media reports. The Chinese government's mouthpiece, Global Times, reported that various missions were completed by PLA Eastern Theater Command during recent drills around Taiwan island, effectively testing the troops' joint operation combat capacity.

It further added that the Chinese military will organise combat readiness patrols in the Taiwan Strait regularly. In response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, China sent military ships and planes across the Taiwan Strait's midline and launched missiles into the waters surrounding the island. The drills, which began on August 4, have disrupted flights and shipping in one of the world's busiest trade zones.

Ignoring calls to de-escalate tensions, Beijing extended the exercises without specifying when they would end. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu stated that China wants to establish its dominance in the western Pacific, rather than annexing the island democracy that split with the mainland during the civil war in 1949. He stated at a news conference in Taipei that this would entail controlling the East and South China Seas via the Taiwan Strait and enforcing a blockade to stop the United States and its allies from aiding Taiwan in the event of an attack.

Military drills demonstrate Beijing's geostrategic ambition beyond Taiwan: Wu

According to Wu, the exercises demonstrate Beijing's geostrategic ambition beyond Taiwan, which it claims as its territory. Despite being more pessimistic than other observers, Wu's assessment of China's actions echoed widespread worries that Beijing is trying to increase its influence in the Pacific, where the United States has military bases and extensive treaty alliances. Pelosi's visit, according to China, prompted its drills, but Wu claimed Beijing was using it as an excuse for intimidating actions that had been planned for a long time.

After the visit, China also imposed import restrictions on some Taiwanese foods and ceased communication with the United States on several issues, including military cooperation, the fight against transnational crime, and climate change. China has gotten closer to Taiwan's borders through its actions, and it may be trying to create a new normal where it will eventually be able to control access to the island's ports and airspace. But the military on the island, whose citizens strongly support the status quo of de facto independence, would probably react strongly to that.

US' stand on Beijing's threats

The main supporter of Taipei, the United States, has also demonstrated a willingness to confront Beijing's threats. In deference to Beijing, Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it is obligated by law to ensure that the island can defend itself and to treat any threats against it with the utmost seriousness.

A prolonged crisis in the Taiwan Strait, a crucial trade route, could have significant effects on global supply chains at a time when the world is already experiencing disruptions and uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. This is in addition to the geopolitical risks. Taiwan is a key supplier of computer chips to the global economy, particularly to China's high-tech industries.

Image: AP