The country, dissatisfied with the rapprochement between the United States and the Taiwanese authorities, had already led military maneuvers around the island in retaliation for a visit to the president of the American House of Representatives.
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Worried about the rapprochement between Taiwan and the United States, China announced, Sunday, December 25, having conducted military exercises near the island. The number of devices mobilized has not been specified, nor the exact location of these maneuvers.
The People’s Liberation Army (APL) “led, in the maritime and air space around the island of Taiwan, joint combat preparation patrols bringing together several services, as well as joint strike exercises” , said Shi Yi, spokesperson for the East Operations Theater. “This is a firm response to the strengthening of collusion between the United States and the Taiwanese authorities and their provocations,” he said in a statement.
China estimates that Taiwan, populated by 24 million inhabitants, is one of her provinces, which she has not yet managed to combine with the rest of her territory since the end of the Chinese civil war In 1949. She saw with dissatisfaction with the work in recent years between the Taiwanese authorities and the United States, which provide military support to the island against Beijing for several decades.
previous exercises in August 2>
The rapprochement between the United States and Taiwan, which began under the former American president Donald Trump, helped to tend Sino-American relations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had expressed its “firm opposition” on Saturday after the adoption of an American defense law, the “National Defense Authorization Act”, under which the United States notably released $ 10 billion military aid and weapon sales in Taiwan.
In August, the APL had carried out very important military exercises around Taiwan, an unprecedented demonstration of force, in retaliation for a visit to the island of the President of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Chinese diplomacy considered this gesture as a provocation, because the United States has officially committed to recognizing the Communist government of Beijing as the only legitimate representative of China.
The Chinese authorities favor the option of “peaceful reunification”, but they have never given up the use of force to conquer Taiwan, especially if the island were to proclaim its independence.