Taiwan Accuses China of Provocative Military Drills Amid Rising Tensions

Taiwan condemned recent Chinese military drills off its coast, which it called provocative attempts to threaten regional stability. The Taiwanese defense ministry reported detecting 32 Chinese military aircraft and numerous ships conducting drills, while China remains unresponsive to these accusations. Tensions continue over undersea cable incidents.

Taiwan on Wednesday rebuked China for what it described as provocative military behavior, following Beijing's announcement of 'shooting' drills near the island's southwest coast. Taiwan's defense ministry reported 32 Chinese military aircraft participating in a 'joint combat readiness drill' with Chinese warships in the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwanese ministry criticized China for not providing prior warning about the drills, which lie 40 nautical miles off Taiwan's coast, posing a threat to international flights and shipping. Taiwan emphasized that such actions undermine regional peace and stability and confirmed dispatching its own forces to monitor the situation.

China's continued military activities, according to Taiwan, represent the greatest threat to stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region. While China did not confirm the recent drills, its leader Wang Huning called for advancing the cause of Chinese reunification. Tensions further escalated over severed undersea communications cables, worsening relations between Taipei and Beijing.

(With inputs from agencies.)