Chinese military maneuvers near Taiwan should, according to the authorities in Beijing, become a signal for the forces in favor of the formal independence of the island.
In early October, a record number of Chinese reconnaissance aircraft violated Taiwan’s air force identification zone, which the Taipei government considers a show of force. China recognizes Taiwan as part of its territory, but does not de facto control it.
Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Chinese Taiwan Bureau at a press conference in Beijing, blamed Taiwan’s ruling party for growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The Democratic Progressive Party, according to the Chinese authorities, is “colluding” with foreign forces. In Beijing’s view, Taiwan’s quest for independence is a “provocation.”
In early October, as the People’s Republic of China celebrated its anniversary, Chinese fighter jets repeatedly violated the identification zone of the Taiwanese military airlines. According to the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, this has led to the greatest tension in the Taiwan Strait in more than forty years. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s pro-independence leader, took office as president. A year earlier, former President Ma Ying-jeou met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore.