Taiwan air force conducts war drills due to increased tensions with China

Taipei/Beijing – The Taiwan Air Force has launched a major military exercise in response to the increasing Chinese operations in the Taiwan Strait. According to the Taiwan Defence Department, this exercise aims to examine the combat readiness and capabilities of the Taiwan Air Force. The F-16 fighter jets of the Taiwanese defence forces were deployed in the war drills.

The Chinese communist regime has taken a radical stand against Taiwan. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has launched large-scale military exercises near Taiwan. The Chinese media have claimed these military exercises to be in preparation to attack Taiwan. At the same time, China has increased the scope of its ‘grey zone warfare’ against Taiwan. In 2021, Chinese planes intruded 961 times into Taiwanese airspace.

China started to use ‘grey zone warfare’ since the beginning of 2010 using aircraft and Naval Militia, including hundreds of armed fishing boats. The main objective is to perpetually keep the Taiwanese defence forces under pressure and weaken them. A report released a few days back by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defence warned about the growing threat from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The report mentioned the PLA monitoring the Taiwanese defence forces’ movements and highlighted the PLA’s capabilities to dismantle Taiwan’s defence forces.

Against the backdrop of this growing threat, Taiwan has launched an aggressive military operation that includes war drills using F-16 fighters to respond to Chinese incursions and counter the Chinese grey zone warfare.

Taiwan is not relying solely on military exercises and augmenting its defence equipment. In 2018, the Taiwanese government incorporated the ‘Overall Defence Concept’ policy. According to this, Taiwan will focus more on asymmetric warfare than conventional war options to combat China. For this, Taiwan is preparing its citizens. A few days ago, the Taiwanese government announced the establishment of an ‘All Out Defence Mobilization Agency’, which is supposed to transform the current reserve forces of Taiwan.

Last year, Taiwan signed a special agreement with the US Coast Guard. There are indications that this US force will play a key role in Taiwan’s security soon. Taiwan is pursuing similar agreements with Japan, Australia, and other Southeast Asian nations. This has added to China’s restlessness. Taiwan has adopted policies, taken decisions, and is engaged with countries for trade, creating economic uncertainty for China. Taiwan’s actions and its results reflect China’s response to being more aggressive.