Taiwan coast guard warns of China using ‘pretext’ to launch war games this year

(Reuters)

TAIPEI, April 1 – China could find a “pretext” to stage new war games around Taiwan this year, coinciding with sensitive dates such as the anniversary in May of a year since President Lai Ching-te took office, a senior Taiwan coast guard official said.

China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, regularly holds exercises around the island, including one begun on Tuesday it said was to “serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence”.

However, China did not give a name to those drills, unlike two war games last year that it dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A”, held in May, following Lai’s inauguration, and then “Joint Sword-2024B” in October, after his national day speech.

Beijing’s pretext could include “special occasions” such as diplomatic events or incidents related to Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsieh Ching-chin, the deputy head of its Coast Guard Administration, told a small group of reporters.

He added there were two key dates this year around which China could either launch named war games – “Joint Sword-2025” – or what he called “de facto” drills.

Apart from the May anniversary, these included October, around the time of Taiwan’s national day when Lai gives a keynote speech, and August, when China ends a routine annual ban on fishing, ostensibly to protect fish stocks, Hsieh said.

Neither China’s defence ministry nor Taiwan Affairs Office responded to requests for comment on the likelihood of such war games.

A separate source, a senior Taiwan security official, said the assessments were based on past experiences and Chinese actions, adding China this year could seek “excuses” to hype up its “grey zone” pressure on Taiwan on those sensitive dates.