Chinese Military Exercises: Use of Intimidation against Taiwan Threatens Regional Stability

Editorial

15:00 JST, April 12, 2025

The administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly threatened military action against Taiwan. This is a dangerous move that shakes the stability of East Asia and is absolutely unacceptable.

Early this month, the Chinese military conducted exercises around Taiwan for two days. In addition to testing its blockade capabilities in the Taiwan Strait, it also carried out long-range live-fire drills in the East China Sea, involving “precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities.”

The Chinese military also reportedly deployed the aircraft carrier Shandong in the waters east of Taiwan, and training to secure air superiority was said to have been carried out.

It is clear the premise of the exercises was to surround Taiwan and isolate it. When it comes to a military invasion of Taiwan, China likely has a scenario in which it cuts off the supply routes to Taiwan from overseas and deploys aircraft carriers to prevent such countries as the United States from intervening.

The Chinese military also conducted large-scale military exercises in May and October last year in which they surrounded Taiwan. The latest exercises were of the largest scale since U.S. President Donald Trump took office for the second time. There is no doubt that the aim was to ascertain the Trump administration’s responses.

Meanwhile, the Chinese military has claimed that the exercises were a “stern warning … against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

This comment was made in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te saying at a press conference in March that China is a “foreign hostile force” that would harm Taiwan through non-peaceful means. However, it is clearly excessive to use force to intimidate a party that criticized the country.

Some think the military exercises that China claimed were in response to Lai’s comments were a form of psychological warfare to sway public opinion in Taiwan. The aim might have been to form public opinion that they cannot expect stability in Taiwan under Lai and that support from the United States should not be expected, in an effort to bring about a change of government.

However, Lai’s approval rating has actually increased since he made the comments. China’s threats will only accelerate Taiwan’s move away from China and damage its reputation in the international community.

It is only natural that Japan, the United States and South Korea; as well as the Group of Seven industrialized nations, each issued joint statements from their foreign ministers to express concerns over the military exercises. The White House spokesperson also stated that Trump reiterated an “opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

If China were to invade Taiwan, it would inevitably pose a danger to Japan’s Nansei Islands as well. In the waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, China Coast Guard vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese territorial waters. Attempts to change the status quo by force are becoming the norm.

Japan and the United States must work together to analyze the details and trends of Chinese military exercises and use the results of the analysis to improve the joint response capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. forces in Japan.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 12, 2025)