China announces military maneuvers around Taiwan as a ‘warning against separatist forces’

MADRID, December 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Chinese army will conduct military exercises near Taiwan this week in a “stark warning against separatist forces”, the Eastern Operations Command announced.

This was declared by its spokesperson, Colonel Shi Yi, who presented the so-called “Mission Justice 2025” operations, which constitute “a serious warning to the separatist forces who promote the independence of Taiwan”. It is, he defended, “a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and maintain national unity”.

“The exercise aims to test the joint combat capability of the command’s troops,” emphasized the Defense Ministry, which issued statements extending the aforementioned warning to “external interference forces.”

According to Shi, the maneuvers will take place “in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island.” These exercises will focus on “sea-air combat”, on the “common capture of superiority”, on the “blockade of ports and key areas” and on “global deterrence outside the archipelago”, he said.

TAIWAN CONDEMNS “MILITARY INTIMIDATION”

In response, Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said on Facebook that “this action by China not only blatantly undermines the security and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, but also openly defies international law and international order.”

“Taiwan expresses its strong condemnation of the Chinese authorities’ disregard for international norms and their use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries,” he stressed in a text in which he emphasizes that the Taiwanese armed forces are “fully prepared to guarantee the security of the nation and its people”, which “can be assured”.

Likewise, the spokesperson urged Beijing to “act with rationality and moderation, immediately cease its irresponsible provocations and refrain from misinterpreting the situation and becoming troublemakers who undermine regional peace.”

“The Taiwan government will also continue to work closely with all parties in the region to jointly ensure a rules-based international order and safeguard peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” he concluded.