It was since 1996 that Beijing had not organized such extensive military exercises around the island
TAIPEI – The fireworks have begun. And the moment, on the Taiwan Strait, is very delicate. It was since 1996 that China had not organized such extensive military exercises as this one around the island it considers part of its territory. In the first day of testing, a total of 11 missiles were detected, which from the available images appear to be DF-15B surface missiles. The main purpose is to demonstrate China’s area denial capacity (A2AD). According to analysts, the launch from the island of Pingtan, the territory of the People’s Republic of China closest to Taiwan, was made with the city of Taipei in mind. The trajectory of the missiles followed a route which, if carried further south, would hit the capital.
On a practical level, the move that can lead to the greatest consequences is that of the constant crossing of the midline over the Strait by the air and naval means of the People’s Liberation Army. This is done in line with the Chinese government’s recent claim (unprecedented in force) for sovereignty over all waters of the Strait. The Chinese media underline that the Beijing army has demonstrated the “non-existence” of the midline: it is therefore feared that the maritime spaces “conquered” today could be occupied on a regular basis even in the coming weeks and months. Already today there has been a strong impact on air traffic, with dozens of civilian flights being canceled. But in the next few days the problems could multiply and also involve ports with significant difficulties for the delivery of goods and for shippers.
The conclusion of the tests seems to have been postponed to 10 on Monday morning compared to the initial 12 on Sunday. Four more days of potential risks. Chinese media claim that missiles will be launched directly over the skies of Taiwan. Not to hit it, but the passage of rockets over the island’s territory would be a particularly worrying sign of escalation. As well as worrying the possible entry into Taiwanese internal territorial waters, that is to say less than 12 nautical miles from the coasts of the island. The Taipei army is on maximum alert and is faced with a puzzle: answering could provide the pretext for a real escalation, but doing nothing means leaving a room for maneuver that Beijing seems entirely willing to recover.
The Chinese government and media insist on presenting these exercises as a “dress rehearsal” of a hypothetical invasion. In fact, the main objective of this show of force seems to be to clarify to the Taiwanese, but also to the United States and Japan, that the Chinese army is able to block the air and sea routes in Taiwan and to carry out a large-scale invasion. ladder.
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