South China Sea: China deploys warships to carry out military drills near Taiwan

China is taking advantage of the current focus on the Afghanistan crisis to assert its control not just over the highly disputed South China Sea, but also towards Taiwan. Beijing has deployed its warships into the disputed waters close to the island nation to carry out a series of military drills, raising tensions between countries.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army released a statement announcing the deployment of warships, anti-submarine aircraft, and fighter jets into the waters close to Taiwan to carry out military exercises involving actual troops. This is the latest in military drills that Taiwan has also complained about as part of China’s pressure on the island nation to accept being under Chinese sovereignty. China claims the island nation as a breakaway province from the mainland under its One China policy but Taiwan’s democratic government has repeatedly opposed the claim.

This was later confirmed following the editor of a Chinese state-owned news outlet who suggested that China would immediately wage war against the United States if the claim by a US Senator of the number of US troops present in Taiwan was accurate. The US has openly expressed its support for Taiwan in recent years.

“The nation’s military has a full grasp and has made a full assessment of the situation in the Taiwan Strait region as well as related developments at sea and in the air, and is prepared for various responses,” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said. People familiar with the planning in Taiwan also revealed that China’s air forces have carried out a “capturing air supremacy” drill with their J-16 fighter jets.

China has also taken a swipe at the relations between the US and Taiwan in light of the crisis in Afghanistan. State-owned news outlet Global Times’ editor Hu Xijin warned Taiwan that they would not be able to receive protection from the US and that officials in Taipei need to seek assistance from China.

“After the fall of the Kabul regime, the Taiwan authorities must be trembling. Don’t look forward to the US to protect them. Taipei officials need to quietly mail-order a Five-Star Red Flag from the Chinese mainland. It will be useful one day when they surrender to the PLA,” tweeted Hu.