The Washington Post-Taiwan urges China to stop destructive military sorties as tensions mount
September 18, 2023 4 min 805 words
这篇报道涉及到中国在台湾海峡的最大单日军事侵犯，标志着近三年来的最严重军事紧张局势升级。这一事件引发了台湾国防部的强烈关切，认为中国的行动将对台湾海峡的安全构成严重威胁。中国不断向台湾派遣战斗机和海军舰艇，有意无视台湾与中国之间的未官方海洋边界“中线”，采取所谓的“灰色区域”战术，以耗竭和恐吓台湾较小的军队。 台湾国防部敦促北京当局立即停止这种破坏性的一边倒行动，强调中国军方的持续军事骚扰可能会导致紧张局势急剧升级，加剧地区安全问题。台湾军方表示，他们正在监视局势，并已派遣飞机、海军舰艇和陆基导弹系统做出回应。而中国则坚称台湾是中国不可分割的一部分，否认存在“中线”。 有关军事观察员认为，此次升级的原因并不明显，尤其是在中国外交部长王毅与美国国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文举行会晤后的一天。这可能与台湾的台风季节有关，也可能是中国正在进行大规模演习。此外，中国的山东航母上周曾在台湾与菲律宾之间的巴士海峡航行，台湾国防部还发现大量中国军舰和战舰在西太平洋活动，可能是对美国与印太地区盟友在8月举行的一系列军事演习的回应。 文章指出，中国多年来一直表示寻求与台湾的“和平统一”，但如有必要将采取武力手段。近年来，两岸关系因蔡英文当选台湾领导人，她的民进党被视为对北京不太友好，而破裂。随着中美关系的恶化，两岸紧张局势也升级。去年8月，美国前众议院议长南希·佩洛西对台湾进行了高调访问后，中国军队向台湾周边发射导弹，并派遣了200多架军用飞机和50多艘战舰进行示威，实施了包围主要岛屿的军事演习。从那以后，中国已经建立了PLA飞机定期越过“中线”的“新常态”。 总的来说，这篇报道揭示了台湾海峡地区的紧张局势，中国采取的行动表明他们试图在台湾周边不断制造压力，显示他们随时都能对台湾实施封锁。这对于地区稳定和国际关系都具有潜在的危险，需要国际社会的关注和干预。
2023-09-18T04:01:27.391Z
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China sent more than 100 fighter jets and nine navy ships into the Taiwan Strait on Monday, marking the largest single-day incursion in three years as Beijing escalates its threats against the island democracy.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 103 Chinese military aircraft and nine navy vessels were detected near Taiwan as of 6 a.m. local time Monday. Forty of the aircraft had entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) by crossing the median line, an unofficial sea border between Taiwan and China that helped maintain stability for years in the 110-mile-wide strait.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan is an inseparable part of the People’s Republic of China, has increasingly ignored the median line, sending sorties closer to Taiwan in what is known as gray zone tactics intended to exhaust and intimidate Taiwan’s smaller military.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Monday’s incursion set a “new high” and would pose “severe challenges” to security in the Taiwan Strait.
“The People’s Liberation Army’s continued military harassment could easily cause a sharp increase in tensions and worsen regional security,” it said in a statement, referring to the official name of China’s military. “We call on the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions.”
The Taiwanese military said it was monitoring the situation and had dispatched aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems to respond. When asked about the incursion at a news briefing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “Taiwan is part of China. There is no such thing as the ‘median line.’”
Military observers in Taiwan said the reason for the escalation, which came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in an effort to stabilize deteriorating ties, was not obvious. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
103 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/YjebwioA4v
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) September 18, 2023
“It stands to reason that when high-level officials from the United States and China are in talks, they will create a more relaxed atmosphere,” said Shu Hsiao-huang, associate research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
“In the past, when incursions hit new heights, it was usually in response to a specific event,” he said, “but this time doesn’t seem to be in response to anything.”
Taiwan’s typhoon season may have prevented the Chinese military from sending planes earlier, or the PLA may simply be conducting large-scale exercises, according to Shu. China’s Shandong aircraft carrier was seen last Monday sailing through the Bashi Channel, between Taiwan and the Philippines, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. Dozens of PLA ships and war craft were detected in the Western Pacific, possibly in response to the U.S. series of military exercises held with Indo-Pacific allies in August.
China has said for years that it seeks “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan but will take it by force if necessary. In recent years, ties between the two sides have broken down following the election of Tsai Ing-wen, whose Democratic Progressive Party is seen as less favorable to Beijing. As China-U.S. relations have deteriorated, cross-strait tensions have also risen.
In the days following a high-profile visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August last year, the PLA fired missiles around Taiwan and sent more than 200 military aircraft and more than 50 warships in a show of force, conducting military exercises that encircled the main island. Since then, China has created a “new normal” of PLA aircraft regularly crossing the median line.
Monday’s incursion included China’s fourth-generation fighter jets, the J-10 and the J-16, as well as refueling planes. A map released by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry showed some of the aircraft crossing the median line and continuing past the southern tip of Taiwan’s main island into the Bashi Channel, potentially cutting Taiwan off from the Philippines, where the United States will soon have access to new military bases.
“They are trying to create a new normal — to say they don’t need a special reason. They can display their military might at any time. They want to put constant pressure on Taiwan’s perimeter. One of the things they want to say is that they can blockade Taiwan anytime if they want to,” said Lin Ying-yu, a professor who teaches PLA studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan.