Staff Writer
Michael Volpicelli
On April 8th, 2023 the Chinese government held simulations for their army off the coast of Taiwan which consisted of precision strikes, mobilized naval battleships, and air force presence.
These drills will last 3 days and have so far been causing an uproar among Taiwanese citizens and the Taiwanese government.
China has stated in the past that they believe to have control over the Taiwanese territory but Taiwan is its own democratically ran country. This on its own has been a long-lasting issue between the two countries.
These military drills began a day after the Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen came back to Taiwan from a trip to The United States.
According to the Taiwanese defense ministry, on Sunday, April 9th, they spotted almost 70 Chinese aircraft vehicles and eleven ships near the Taiwanese mainland.
The Taiwanese government has come out and said they will not escalate the issue or potential conflict between the two nations but they will be monitoring the situation closely.
The Taiwan Strait’s median line has long been an unofficial barrier that separates Taiwan and China. Since the Chinese government started its military drills, there have been reports of a standoff between Taiwanese ships and Chinese ships along this unofficial barrier.
Zhao Xiaozhuo, who is a part of China’s Academy of Military Sciences, has come out and stated to the Global Times paper that this is the first time the Chinese government has ever spoken of simulating attacks and running drills on targets in Taiwan.
Whether these simulations hold any weight to a future or potential conflict between the two nations remains to be unknown and why China is doing these drills so close to Taiwan is also unknown as of this moment.
In the global times, Zhao stated that the targets being used for simulated attacks are runways, military buildings, and anything that could be used to mobilize troops.
The United States embassy in Taiwan has stated that they are also monitoring the situation and have reassured the Taiwanese people that they have the resources necessary to control the situation, should it escalate any further.
The Chinese government has never stated that they would not use force to take back control of Taiwan and that Taiwan is the biggest and most crucial issue between them and The United States.
Over the last three years, China has been more and more involved in trying to pressure Twain under its control. They have been sending fighter jets over the island, and stationing battleships eerily close to the mainland of Taiwan.
Peace is being upheld at this moment but there is no guarantee it will remain as such which is why the United States is helping to monitor the situation should the issue escalate the United States will be obligated to help due to Taiwan being a key piece in the global economy.
Thank you for tuning into this week’s edition of the Dragon Chronicles and we look forward to giving you more stories next week!