Taiwanese authorities have convened a high-level meeting on national security amid China’s large-scale military exercises around the island, National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Joseph Wu said on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it had launched the Joint Sword-2024B military drills around Taiwan to practice a joint assault, blocking and taking control of key ports and areas of the island.
“The president [Lai Ching-te] has convened a high-level meeting on national security in response to the threat from China’s military and has issued clear instructions,” Wu was quoted as saying by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, adding that government agencies were also preparing for any potential Chinese actions that could affect Taiwan’s society and economy.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said that China’s military drills endangered the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and did not contribute to the healthy development of relations in the region.
“[Taiwan’s armed forces] strongly condemn the PLA’s irrational and provocative actions and will deploy appropriate forces to respond and defend our national sovereignty,” the ministry said on X.
Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, a territory with its own elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country, although it has stopped short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts by foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
