Taipei/Hong Kong
CNN
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China’s military has set up a zone for “live-fire training” about 46 miles (74 kilometers) off the southwestern coast of Taiwan without advance notice, the island’s defense ministry said on Wednesday, condemning the move as provocative and a threat to international navigation.
It comes a day after Taiwan’s coast guard detained a Chinese-crewed cargo ship suspected of cutting an undersea cable in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it detected 32 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait starting shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday (8 p.m. Tuesday ET). It added that 22 of those aircraft flew near the north and southwest of the island and carried out a “joint combat readiness patrol” with Chinese warships, according to the statement.
“During this period, (China) blatantly violated international norms by unilaterally designating a drill zone approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung without prior warning, claiming it would conduct ‘live-fire training,’” the ministry said, adding that it “strongly condemns” these actions.
Kaohsiung, a strategic commercial hub for Taiwan, is home to the island’s largest and busiest port.
There was no immediate comment from Beijing on the Taiwan statement. China’s Foreign Ministry did not comment on it when asked at a regular news conference Wednesday, saying it’s “not a diplomatic issue.” CNN has reached out to China’s defense ministry for comment.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the self-governing democracy by force if necessary. Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Beijing has significantly ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said China declared the drill zone within international shipping lanes via temporary radio broadcasts, posing “a severe threat to the safety of international aviation and maritime navigation.”
“This is a blatant provocation against regional security and stability,” the ministry added.
The ministry said that the Chinese military’s recent activities, including live-fire drills near Australia, showed that “China has become the primary and greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region.”
In an unprecedented show of firepower, the Chinese Navy conducted two live-fire exercises in waters between Australia and New Zealand last week, forcing dozens of flights to be diverted and raising alarm in both countries. Officials there said while the drills did not violate international law, Beijing could have given more notice.
Australian officials said they learned about the drills via an alert from a commercial pilot, who noticed a message broadcast by the Chinese on an emergency radio channel. China insisted it issued safety notices in advance and slammed Australia for “hyping up” the situation.
China’s latest military activity near Taiwan came as Beijing accused Taipei of “political manipulation” over the disconnected undersea cable, in the latest damage to the island’s communication lines.
“While the basic facts and the liability for the accident have not yet been clarified, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have deliberately exaggerated the situation in an attempt at political manipulation, which will not enjoy popular support,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.
The Togo-flagged vessel suspected of damaging the cable – which connected Taiwan to its outlying Penghu Islands – was crewed by eight Chinese nationals, Taiwan’s coast guard said.
It had been lingering near the cable since Saturday night and dropped anchor shortly before the cable’s disconnection was detected on Tuesday, the coast guard said.
Taiwanese authorities said they could not rule out the possibility of a Chinese “gray zone operation” – a coercive or subversive act that falls below the threshold of war.
In recent years, multiple undersea telecoms cables around Taiwan have suffered suspicious damage, raising concerns among Taiwan authorities that the island’s internet connectivity and communications with the outside world could be hampered during a potential blockade or invasion by China’s military.