China’s island war games ‘simulating seizure’ rattle Taiwan

Taiwan vows to defend its islands amid reports China is building forces, and plans to conduct war games simulating their seizure.

A Chinese aircraft carrier during military drills in the Pacific. Picture: AFP

Taiwan has vowed to defend its islands amid reports that China is building up forces and plans to conduct war games simulating their seizure.

Major-General Lin Wen-huang said Taiwan’s military was monitoring “hostile forces” in the South China Sea and had prepared measures to protect the strategic and disputed Pratas islands, after reports that Beijing was planning beach landing exercises on nearby Hainan island.

The Pratas islands, or Dongsha in Chinese, lie between Chinese-controlled Hainan and Taiwan. Beijing does not recognise self-governing Taiwan and has vowed to take it back by force if necessary by 2050.

Seizing the outlying islands would represent a serious escalation of hostilities and could drag in the US through its pact to defend Taiwan.

Chinese warships and fighter jets take part in a military display in the South China Sea. Picture: Reuters

The move comes amid news that America’s strategic bomber squadrons have been engaged in a co-ordinated show of force over the Indo-Pacific region and Europe to demonstrate that the US is ready to confront any aggression.

All three types of the US air force’s long-range bombers - the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the B-52H Stratofortress and the B-1B Lancer - have recently been flying missions thousands of miles from their home bases. The B-2 and B-52H are designed to carry nuclear bombs and the B-1B has cruise missiles with conventional warheads.

China ups the ante

Landing exercises in August will test the strength and effectiveness of Beijing’s navy and involve a “large numbers of Marines, landing ships, hovercraft and helicopters: manoeuvres on an unprecedented scale”, Chinese sources told the Kyodo news agency in Japan.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the state-run Global Times that simulated landings could deter Taiwan “separatists”.

“Exercises such as this are aimed at islands like the Dongsha . . . and the larger island, namely Taiwan. If Taiwan secessionists insist on secession, military exercises can turn into action any time,” he said.

Three anti-submarine S-70C helicopters fly in formation during an annual drill at the Tsoying navy base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Picture: AFP

The Chinese government is in dispute with the US over Taiwan, where President Tsai is about to begin her second term in office.

Last year the US signed a $2.2 billion weapons deal with Taipei, including Abrams tanks and Stinger missiles to bolster its defences.

China has been building its military advantage in the South China Sea for years, taking control of several islands.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the maritime region, despite claims from Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen, centre, in blue jacket, and assembled naval personnel take part in a ceremony to commission two Perry-class guided missile frigates from the US into the Taiwan Navy, in 2018. Picture: AGP

Last month the People’s Liberation Army Navy sent Liaoning, the country’s first aircraft carrier, through the Taiwan Strait in a show of force.

It also said it “expelled” a US warship from territorial waters off the Paracel Islands.

The uninhabited Pratas islands sit in a strategic passage leading to the Pacific from the South China Sea. Kyodo News said the islands became more crucial after Beijing based Shandong, its second aircraft carrier, in Hainan.

A Chinese fighter jet landing on the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier during military drills in the Bohai Sea, off China's northeast coast. Picture: AFP

The Times