China on Wednesday renewed its threats to attack Taiwan, warning that foreign politicians who interact with the autonomous island are “playing with fire.” A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the country recommitted in the new year to “safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “destroying plots for Taiwan independence” in the self-governing democracy that broke away from Mainland China in 1949.
“The malicious support for Taiwanese independence among anti-China elements in some foreign countries is a deliberate provocation,” Ma Xiaoguang told a biweekly press conference.
China sees Taiwan as a Chinese territory that must be brought under Beijing’s control, by force if necessary. A series of visits in recent months to Taiwan by foreign politicians, including then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous European Union politicians, spurred displays of military might by both sides.
This week, Taiwan’s military is holding drills aimed at reassuring the public about its ability to counter threats from China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday this month.
“The most important thing is to maintain the safety of our airspace and national security,” Air Force Lt. Col. Wu Bong-yeng told reporters at the Hsinchu airbase, just south of the capital Taipei.
The drills coincide with a visit by German and Lithuanian legislators; the latter Baltic state is a particular target of Chinese anger for improving its ties with Taiwan.
“We call on the relevant countries to… stop sending the wrong signals to Taiwanese separatist forces and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan issue,” Ma said.
China has responded to foreign visits by holding large-scale military exercises that some see as a rehearsal for a blockade or invasion. Beijing sends planes and warships toward Taiwan almost daily, often crossing the median line of the 160-kilometer (100-mile) Taiwan Strait that divides the sides. In late December, China sent a record 71 aircraft and seven ships to Taiwan, the largest-scale exercise of its kind in 2022.
China’s efforts to diplomatically isolate the island have left Taiwan with only 14 official diplomatic partners, though it maintains strong unofficial relations with key allies including the US and more than 100 countries around the world.
