China warns it will do ‘everything’ to defend its sovereignty as it holds drills in Taiwan Strait

A senior Chinese official has warned that Beijing would do "everything" to defend its sovereignty as China began live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

The comments came as China was accused of "sabre rattling" by Taiwan after it launched a military exercise which is being seen as a warning to the United States over its involvement in the self-ruled island.

The drills, which began at 8am (00.00 GMT), are also being viewed as a show of force against what Beijing views as moves by Taiwan towards formal independence.

Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the US, on Tuesday reiterated Beijing’s long-held view that Taiwan will eventually be reunited with the mainland, saying that China hoped for "peaceful reunification".

"But if someone tries to separate Taiwan from China, we will do everything that is possible to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added, as he answered questions at an event at Harvard University, according to China Review News Agency.

The Chinese military provided few details about the drills, which are taking place off the south-eastern Chinese city of Quanzhou, between two groups of islands that are controlled by Taiwan, but very close to China.

They come after President Xi Jinping oversaw the biggest naval exercises in the country’s history last week.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the drills only involved land-based artillery conducting "routine" shooting practice.

A spokesman said China has been engaged in "cheap verbal intimidation and sabre rattling" as it sought to undermine the "morale" of the Taiwanese people.

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have escalated in recent weeks, with officials sparring over comments from William Lai, Taiwan’s prime minister, that he was a “Taiwan independence worker”.

Beijing has also become alarmed at moves by the US to forge closer links with Taipei.

Washington recently passed a travel act, which will allow more official visits between the US and Taipei. The US also offered support to build Taiwan’s indigenous fleet of submarines.

Arthur Ding, a military expert and Professor Emeritus of the Institute of International Relations (IIR) at the National Chengchi University in Taipei, said the drills "definitely target both Taiwan and the US."

He said: "China opposes any improvement of relations between Taiwan and US because, for them, it sends a wrong signal to the Taiwanese leadership who perceptively pursue a course of ‘Taiwan Independence’. 

"Also, improved relations blocks the way for re-unification."

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Prof Ding said Beijing believes that Tsai Ing-wen, who became Taiwan president in 2016, has adopted a policy of "comprehensive incremental independence".

He said "frustration broke" among China’s Communist leaders with Mr Lai’s comments last month.

"President Xi had to do something to answer domestic pressure, while not escalating tension in the Taiwan Strait and avoiding blame for causing tension," he told The Telegraph.

J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based Taiwan expert from the University of Nottingham’s China policy institute, said the Chinese exercise appeared to be "a routine artillery drill".

Earlier reports that China’s only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was to join the drill appear to be unfounded, Mr Cole said.

He also said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had failed in its attempts to cause alarm among Taiwanese people.

"The growing frequency of PLA live-fire exercises and passages near Taiwan — many of them in the West Pacific — in recent years, has, ironically, diluted the effectiveness of such propaganda efforts.

"Thus, if the aim is to spark a panic in Taiwan, Beijing is failing miserably."

Ms Tsai last week oversaw her first military exercises since she became Taiwan’s leader, although those drills did not involve any live fire.

At a glance | The One China policy

Beijing has claimed Taiwan since defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 after losing the civil war with Mao Tse-tung’s Communists.

It views Taiwan as a renegade province which will be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary.

The drills coincided with President Tsai’s visit to Swaziland, one of Taipei’s few remaining international allies.

Additional reporting by Christine Wei