China Conducts Surprise Live-Fire Military Exercises Near Taiwan's Coast

China has once again initiated live-fire military exercises near Taiwan's coast, the island that operates independently but whose sovereignty is claimed by Beijing. Unlike similar exercises in recent years, the Communist Party did not inform Taipei of its intentions and established a 'fire zone' just 74 kilometres from Taiwanese territory. Several warships have sailed there, coordinating with over fifty aircraft to carry out various missions.

"This constitutes a violation of international law, as China has unilaterally established a firing zone without prior notice just 40 nautical miles from the cities of Kaohsiung and Pingtung," the Taiwanese government has protested. Both locations host naval and air bases, and these exercises coincide with the recent detention by Taiwanese authorities of a Chinese merchant ship suspected of cutting one of the island's undersea telecommunications cables.

According to Taipei, the Hong Tai, manned by eight Chinese nationals, had been near the cable since Saturday and did not respond to radio inquiries from the coast guard. When it anchored on Tuesday, Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable had been damaged, leading to the ship's detention and towing to Tainan port. The Taiwanese government fears it was a 'grey operation' by China.

Officially, the Asian giant has stated that the military exercises "are not a diplomatic issue," but the official Xinhua agency mentioned Wang Huning, a Politburo member, asserting that China "must dominate and take the initiative in cross-strait relations and relentlessly push to achieve the goal of reunification."

In any case, Taiwan is not the only territory in Beijing's sights. Last week, its Navy surprised the world by conducting similar exercises, also with live fire, near Australia and New Zealand. They forced the diversion of dozens of flights and raised alarms in both countries, although their governments later acknowledged that the exercises were not illegal. "They could have warned us earlier," they lamented.