Before Taiwan and Australia: China worries with military exercises

Before Taiwan and Australia China worries with military exercises 26.02.2025, 11:52

It happens without warning: Numerous Chinese military aircraft penetrate Taiwan's air defense zone. Chinese warships have also been causing unrest in Australia for days. According to a broadcaster, they are accompanied at least for some of the time by a nuclear submarine.

According to Taiwanese sources, China has carried out shooting exercises off the coast of the island republic without prior warning. The Ministry of Defense in Taipei condemned the action and accused the People's Liberation Army of violating international norms by designating the exercise area about 40 nautical miles southwest of the coast of Taiwan. Taiwan has sent armed forces to monitor the situation, it said in a statement.

The democratically governed island state had also identified 32 Chinese military aircraft of various types around its territory, it said. 22 of them had flown over the median line in the strait between China and Taiwan, the so-called Taiwan Strait, and had penetrated the air defense zone - not to be confused with the airspace - from various directions.

When asked about the exercise, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing that this was not a diplomatic issue. The Communist Party considers Taiwan to be part of China's territory and wants to bind the island to itself, if necessary by using the military, as Beijing has repeatedly said. The People's Liberation Army exercises around Taiwan almost daily.

Chinese warships also off Australia

The exercise off Taiwan took place a few days after the Chinese Navy had trained to fire warships in international waters off Australia. The ships - a frigate, a cruiser and a supply ship - are still causing discussion in Canberra. As the ABC reported, military sources believe that a nuclear submarine accompanied the task force at least temporarily. Neighbouring New Zealand is also following developments closely.

According to Airservices Australia, nearly 50 commercial flights recently had to change course because of the shooting exercises. The head of the armed forces, Admiral David Johnston, said that Beijing had not informed the Australian military about the exercises. According to the report, the pilot of a commercial airline had accidentally received radio messages from the Chinese ships and informed the Australian authorities.

Johnston called China's behavior "irresponsible." After the ships were first spotted off the east coast of Australia, they were now about 250 kilometers south of the island of Tasmania.