Taiwan says China’s military is part of the plan for an imminent invasion

Taiwan’s foreign minister warned on Tuesday that China is using its aggressive military exercises on the island as part of a wider plan for what it fears is an imminent invasion.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan will not be intimidated by China’s aggression, but said: “China has used exercises from its military playbook to prepare- se for the invasion of Taiwan.”

“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyber attacks, disinformation and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” Reuters first reported. “After the drills conclude, China may seek to routinize its action in an attempt to disrupt the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu delivers a speech during the launch ceremony of Taiwan’s Gender Equality Week on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day in Taipei.
(Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

CHINA OPENS MILITARY EXERCISES AROUND TAIWAN AFTER ISLAND HOSTS FOREIGN HEAD OF STATE

Wu did not offer a timetable for when Taipei believes Beijing could officially order troops to invade the island, although some reports have suggested it could be as early as 2024 as China and the United States prepare for elections.

However, the Pentagon disagrees with that assessment, with Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl telling reporters on Monday that Beijing is “trying to coerce the international community.”

“We won’t take the bait, and it won’t work. It’s a manufactured crisis that doesn’t mean we have to play with it,” he added. “Instead, what we will do is continue to fly, navigate and operate wherever international law allows us to do so.”

A member of the People’s Liberation Army looks through binoculars during military exercises as Taiwan’s frigate Lan Yang is seen in the background, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.
(Lin Jian/Xinhua via AP)

TAIWAN AMBASSADOR: BEIJING IS ‘MANUFACTURING’ CRISIS, CHINA PREPARED ‘TIME’ INVASION FORCE

Beijing crossed the unofficial border separating Taiwan from mainland China for the first time when it launched a series of military exercises following a controversial visit to Taipei by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Chinese authorities suggested his visit was an attempt by the United States to push for Taiwan independence and launched ballistic missile tests along with simulated naval and air strikes around Taiwan.

Chinese military helicopters fly over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province on August 4, 2022.
(HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Pelosi and the White House have maintained that her visit was not an attempt to change the status quo in the region and signified Washington’s support for democracies around the world.

China said on Monday it would conduct anti-submarine and maritime assault operations around Taiwan, adding to international fears that China would continue to press Taipei’s defenses.