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Taiwan has said that the past two weeks has seen dozens of
fighters, drones, bombers and other aircraft, as well as
warships and the Chinese carrier the Shandong, operating nearby.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own
territory, has in recent years carried out many such drills
around the island, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims and
pressure Taipei.
Asked by reporters on the sidelines of parliament whether there
was a risk of an accidental incident sparking a broader conflict
given the frequency of the Chinese activities, Taiwan Defense
Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said: "This is something we are very
worried about".
Warships from China's southern and eastern theatre commands have
been operating together off Taiwan's east coast, he added.
"The risks of activities involving aircraft, ships, and weapons
will increase, and both sides must pay attention," Chiu said.
China has not commented about the drills around Taiwan, and its
defense ministry has not responded to requests for comment.
Chiu said that when the Shandong was out at sea, which Taiwan
first reported on Sept. 11, it was operating as the "opposing
force" in the drills. Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang added that
China's Eastern Theatre Command forces were the "attacking
force", simulating a battle scenario.
Taiwan's traditional military planning for a potential conflict
has been to use its mountainous east coast, especially the two
major air bases there, as a place to regroup and preserve its
forces given it does not directly face China unlike the island's
west coast.
But China has increasingly been flexing its muscles off Taiwan's
east coast, and generally displaying its ability to operate much
further away from China's own coastline.
China normally performs large-scale exercises from July to
September, Taiwan's defense ministry has said.
On Saturday the ministry said China had largely dialed back its
drills, reporting that over the previous 24 hour period it had
only spotted two Chinese aircraft operating in its air defense
zone.
Taiwan has frequently said that it would remain calm and not
escalate the situation, but that it won't allow "repeated
provocations" from China, whose forces have so far not entered
Taiwan's territorial seas or airspace.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Roger Tung; Editing by Shri
Navaratnam)
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