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- The drills were launched three days after Taiwan鈥檚 President Lai Ching-te took office
- Exercises involved simulating strikes targeting the island鈥檚 leaders as well as its ports and airports
TAIPEI: China鈥檚 two-day military drills around Taiwan were a 鈥渂latant provocation to the international order,鈥� Taipei said in a statement Saturday after the war games encircling the self-ruled island ended.
The drills were launched three days after Taiwan鈥檚 President Lai Ching-te took office and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a 鈥渃onfession of independence.鈥�
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, regards Lai as a 鈥渄angerous separatist.鈥�
By Friday evening, a presenter for state-run military news channel CCTV-7 said the Chinese army had 鈥渟uccessfully completed鈥� the operation dubbed 鈥淛oint Sword-2024A.鈥�
In a statement, Lai鈥檚 presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo reiterated that ensuring peace and stability across the region was 鈥渞elated to the common interests of the international community.鈥�
鈥淗owever, China鈥檚 recent unilateral provocation not only undermines the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait but it is also a blatant provocation to the international order, triggering serious concern and condemnation from the international community,鈥� she said.
Kuo added that Taiwan hopes 鈥淐hina will take the safety and happiness of the people on both sides into consideration, pursue mutual benefit, coexistence... stop all kinds of political and military intimidations on Taiwan and the region.鈥�
Self-ruled Taiwan has its own democratically elected government, military and currency, but Beijing has said it would never renounce the potential use of force to bring the island under its control.
Chinese military analysts told state news agency Xinhua that the People鈥檚 Liberation Army vessels had inched 鈥渃loser than ever before鈥� to Taiwan鈥檚 shores during the two-day military drills.
The exercises involved simulating strikes targeting the island鈥檚 leaders as well as its ports and airports, they said.
In regards to China鈥檚 various military actions, Kuo said that 鈥渢he president and the national security team have a full grasp of the situation鈥� and called for the public to 鈥渞est assured.鈥�