The Chinese intimidation tactics have been ramping up in recent months
The Chinese intimidation tactics have been ramping up in recent months
Georgie English
CHINA has launched a fresh round of army, navy and rocket force exercises encircling Taiwan, Xi Jinping's military has announced.
Beijing described their concerning movements, which included 19 warships and 50 aircraft, as a "stern warning" and a "powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence".
Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong during military drills near Taiwan.
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The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong was seen near to Taiwan during the latest military drillsCredit: EPA
Illustration of Chinese military vessels and aircraft surrounding Taiwan.
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Beijing's armed forces also posted a disturbing image of the small island with the words 'Closing In' on itCredit: Eastern Theatre Command
Taiwan Air Force personnel inspecting Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
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Taiwan Air Force's Mirage 2000 fighter jets inside Hsinchu Airbase today in response to China's menacing movementsCredit: EPA
Illustration of China's military surrounding Taiwan during war drills, showing troop and equipment numbers.
The Chinese military even attacked Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te by labelling him a "parasite".
Taiwan announced today that it has detected at least 19 Chinese warships as well as the large Shandong aircraft carrier patrolling near to its self-governing island.
It marks the biggest number of enemy vessels seen in a 24-hour period since last May.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, announced the "sea-air combat-readiness patrols".
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He added that the move was a "joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes".
Beijing's armed forces also posted a disturbing image of the small island with the words "Closing In" on it.
The poster showed Chinese ships and fighter jets circling the island.
It also bared the chilling phrase "Taiwan separatists courting disaster upon themselves".
In a brave response to the drills, Taiwan sent out its own aircraft and ships.
They also deployed land-based missile systems as they accused Beijing of being the world's "biggest troublemaker".
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
Taiwan insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China's enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
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In this years New Year's address, President Xi even said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.
He has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a "historical inevitability".
Total blockade, air blitz & island grab… Three ways China could seize Taiwan
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News ReporterWITH an overwhelming military force, advanced warfare techniques and a fragmenting West, Xi Jinping will likely feel more confident than ever to seize Taiwan, experts warn.And if China does decide to attack, it's feared it will go in with "full force" using three major military strategies that would wreak havoc on the island.Defence experts say it's the "perfect moment" for Xi's long-standing ambition to reunify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland - and it could launch an attack as soon as 2027.Professor Ashok Swain, a peace and security expert at Uppsala University in Sweden, says that China could look to attack Taiwan with full force.He said: "The global politics has changed dramatically in the last couple of months... the way Ukraine is being handled by the United States gives a certain comfort level to Xi."It is the perfect moment for China to attack Taiwan if it plans to do so."Swain suggests they could invade through a devastating air blitz to disable Taiwan’s defences as naval forces also encircle the island.This coordinated approach would aim to prevent Taiwan’s forces from mounting an effective response and limit the time available for Western intervention, the expert argues.China could also seize all or some of the islands surrounding Taiwan's mainland to gauge a reaction from the West.Any response short of military support would embolden Xi to go further - like Putin annexing Crimea in 2014.The third attack route could be a total blockade.Military experts say China will start with an ever-tightening squeeze on Taiwan using naval blockades around the island - something very similar to the war drills Beijing has been conducting for years.An effective sea and air blockade would halt valuable exports and cut off help from the US and Japan.The island could be crippled financially, economically and operationally if Beijing extended military exercises for a longer period.
Military vehicles firing missiles.
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China has been threatening Taiwan with invasion and military drills for the past few years with them rapidly ramping up in the last monthCredit: Getty
Xi Jinping walking among applauding military officials.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has long threatened to take Taiwan 'by force if necessary
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