Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the armed forces to step up their training for the “royal combat”amid tensions over Taiwan and after three-day military exercises to put pressure on the island.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a province that has not yet managed to incorporate into its territory since the civil war ended in 1949.
For the Chinese government, the meeting last week between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, was a provocation.
In response, the Chinese military organized military exercises in order to put pressure on Taiwan.
For the maneuvers, which ended on Monday, China mobilized warships, missile launchers, and fighter planes.
On Wednesday, state television CCTV broadcast Xi Jinping’s first public comments since those exercises.
The Army must “defend with determination China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, and strive to protect peripheral stability in general,” the Chinese leader insisted on Tuesday, during a visit to a naval base in the south, but without explicitly mentioning Taiwan.
Xi Jinping called on the military to “strengthen actual combat-oriented military training,” according to CCTV.
On Wednesday, the German Foreign Ministry criticized the “threatening military positions” of Beijing, that increase “the risk of involuntary military confrontations”.
“We hope that all actors in the region contribute to stability and peace“added Andrea Sasse, a spokeswoman for the aforementioned ministry, at a press conference in Berlin.
peace in danger
The rapprochement that the Taiwanese authorities and the United States have staged in recent years has caused anger in Beijing. Despite the fact that Washington and Taipei do not have official relations, the United States provides substantial military support to the island.
Last summer, China carried out unprecedented military exercises near Taiwan and fired missiles in response to a visit by Nancy Pelosi to the islandwhen she held the position currently held by McCarthy.
Xi made the remarks on Tuesday, the day the United States and the Philippines began the largest joint military exercises in their history.
With these trainings, both historical allies try to strengthen their coordination to counteract China’s influence in the region.
The Philippines’ closeness to Taiwan could make the country a key partner if China were to invade the island.
The Philippines announced earlier this month the location of four new military bases likely to be used by the United Statesone of which, located near the South China Sea and another, not far from Taiwan.
China criticized the deal, saying it “endangers regional peace and stability.”
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