Chinese military planes and navy ships remain near Taiwan following military drills

China began the drills on Saturday after Tsai returned to Taipei, following a meeting in Los Angeles with the US House of Representatives Speaker, Kevin McCarthy. China, which warned the US not to allow Tsai’s visit or her meeting with McCarthy, has never ruled out the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under Beijing’s control. The Taiwanese government strongly disputes China’s claims.

Taiwan condemns military drills

Despite China’s announcement of the drills’ end on Monday evening, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported spotting nine Chinese ships and 26 planes, including J-16 and Su-30 fighters, conducting combat readiness patrols around the island on Tuesday morning. Taiwan’s air force, navy, and land-based missile crews are closely monitoring and responding, it added.

The Taiwanese government has repeatedly denounced the drills but has stated that it is not seeking to provoke or escalate the situation.

“However, China has taken advantage of this to launch military drills, causing instability in Taiwan and the region. This is not a responsible attitude for a major country in the region,” said Tsai Ing-wen.

Read also: China Completes Military Drills Near Taiwan and Assesses Combat Skills

Tensions in the region

The drills have also raised concerns in Japan, particularly because its southern islands are close to Taiwan and could be involved in a conflict. Japan’s Okinawa Island hosts a significant US air force base, and last August, when China conducted military drills to protest the visit of former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, Chinese missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Tuesday described the Chinese military drills around Taiwan as a “threatening formation” aimed at taking control of the sea and air around the island.

Life in Taiwan continues as normal despite the tensions, with no signs of panic or disruption, and civilian flights around the island, including over the Taiwan Strait, have not been interrupted.

Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties, in a rare show of unity, issued a joint statement from their parliamentary groups condemning the drills.